Here Without You
by hathor X
Summary: Sequel! 3 years after defeating Voldemort, Hermione and Draco meet again. Hermione now has to cope in a world run by Malfoy Inc. Whereas Abigail and Ron have joined the Order, she battles the remaining Death Eaters in court. Dark fic, D/Hr, HP/OC
1. Power

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belongs to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing and make absolutely no money out of this. I don't own the song either. It's all for fun! Characters you don't recognise are from my own imagination and belong to me.**

**Summary: THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO THE DRAGON, THE LION AND THE SERPENT.**

**Three years after defeating Voldemort, Hermione and Abigail try to cope in a world run by Malfoy Inc and the Death Eaters. Whereas Abigail and Ron have joined the Order, Hermione battles the remaining Death Eaters in court. DMHG HPOC This fanfiction is rated M for sex, violence and language. So be warned!**

**Author's Notes: Well I am finally back with the first chapter of Here Without Me, the sequel to the Dragon, the Lion and the Serpent. It is set three years after Voldemort is defeated and starts off on a dark and sad tone. This first chapter starts off with Draco's point of view, but other characters are mentioned throughout. The story keeps the same layout as before with three different points of view (Draco, Hermione and Abigail) but may switch from time to time to other characters, mostly Harry. Thoughts are put in italics.**

**Just to recap for those who might not have understood, Hermione and Abigail are distant cousins. How is that possible? Well Hermione's grandfather was a Squib and he was also Abigail's mother's uncle. Thus Mrs Granger (a Muggle) and Selena Serpent (powerful witch) are cousins although they hardly knew each other and lived in complete separate worlds. I know I said it was Abigail's father who was related to the Grangers but in fact it's Selena Serpent, got confused, sorry. Thats why the Grangers were contacted when Selena went mad. Thus, Hermione and Abigail are distant cousins (second cousins once removed? Is that what its called?).**

**I'd like to thank all my faithful readers and reviewers for all their support with D, L, S, you guys were great! So thank you, thank you! Drastic Changes will be updated as soon as possible!**

**Songs have been added to chapters where I thought they were suitable and after listening to 3 Doors Down this summer, I thought the title of one of their songs described the story best. I will not spoil the plot for you, therefore read on!**

******..~**~..**  


* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

_A hundred days have made me older  
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face  
A thousand lies have made me colder  
And I don't think I can look at this the same  
But all the miles that separate  
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face_

_I'm here without you baby  
But you're still on my lonely mind  
I think about you baby  
And I dream about you all the time  
I'm here without you baby  
But you're still with me in my dreams  
And tonight it's only you and me_

_(Here Without You - 3 Doors Down)_

* * *

Draco Malfoy, age 21, head of Malfoy Inc. and leader of the remaining Death Eaters, sat at his large mahogany office desk on the top floor of the first magical skyscraper in wizarding London.

A dozen other buildings could be seen through the double windows of his office, where operated other important wizard companies, belonging to wealthy Pureblood families, business partners to Malfoy Inc. and also fellow Death Eaters. The world had changed for Draco since he had left Hogwarts. He was now one of the famous 'Defeaters of Voldemort', wealthiest wizard in Europe, biggest employer in England's wizarding world, greatest monetary contributor to the Ministry of Magic and most eligible bachelor of the year according to Witch Weekly.

Lord Malfoy had it all, or so he thought.

A loud knock on his office door suddenly caught his attention and a blonde woman shortly entered. She was carrying a crocodile skin handbag and walked confidently up to Draco's desk, stretching out a rather large hand with long, red-painted fingernails.

"Mister Malfoy, such a pleasure to see you! Thank you for inviting me here today," Rita Skeeter greeted him as Draco stood up and quickly shook her hand.

"Please, Miss Skeeter, have a seat," he said, pointing to a smaller black leather chair beside his desk.

The journalist smiled politely and sat down quickly, pulling out pieces of parchment and her famous Quick Quotes Quill from her handbag.

Draco despised the press, but since certain complaints against him had reached the Ministry, he needed to reaffirm a positive image of Malfoy Inc. to the general public.

"Remember Miss Skeeter," Draco informed the journalist shortly, watching her intently as she set parchment on her lap and the quill automatically began scribbling away. "You are not to write anything else than what I say. I will read the article before it is published and if it does not satisfy me then I will make sure that you never write a single word for the Daily Prophet again."

She nodded at his words, her smile faltering slightly. His threats obviously seemed to work as the journalist quickly got rid of the magical quill and found another one in her bag along with a bottle of ink. She seemed to remember that the Daily Prophet now mostly belonged to Malfoy Inc.

"So, Mister Malfoy –"

"Lord Malfoy," Draco interrupted calmly. "Since I have taken over the family estate and business, I have also become head of the Malfoy family, hence Lord Malfoy, according to the Ministry decree number 498."

"Of course," she answered, writing as she spoke. "So Lord Malfoy, I believe this is the first time that you have ever invited a journalist inside your prestigious office at Malfoy Inc."

"You are correct."

"Why such need for secrecy?" she inquired eagerly.

"I have no need for secrecy Miss Skeeter, only caution. My business rivals are numerous and will gladly do anything to steal data from my records."

"Indeed, Malfoy Inc has considerably grown in size and value over these last few years. Tell us, Lord Malfoy, as we are all eager to know, how do you explain such a terrific success?"

"I decided to purchase certain wizarding estates and companies or invest in them over the years and I have never been wrong. In fact, I have been very lucky."

Looking up at him through her jewelled spectacles, Rita could hardly contain her curiosity as she asked him the following question. "Is it true that you have recently started investing in Muggle companies too?"

Draco kept a blank expression. "Yes."

Rita paused, expecting more details, but as he remained silent, she continued with the interview.

"Now what about your title as 'Defeater of You-Know-Who'? Would you like to explain to the readers in detail how it all happened?"

Draco's silver eyes clouded for a second, but then he took a deep breath. "Well, as you already know, I used to be one of Voldemort's followers until I realised that he was wrong and decided to help Albus Dumbledore," he lied through his teeth. "I was present the night Harry Potter killed Lord Voldemort and I am sure you already know the full details of the final battle."

"Yes, yes, of course," Rita answered automatically, scribbling away. "But how and when did you decide to rebel against You-Know-Who?"

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. Instead memories of his seventh year at Hogwarts suddenly flooded his mind. Brown bushy hair, chocolate brown eyes…

_Hermione, it was all thanks to Hermione._

"Lord Malfoy?" Rita asked, confused by his far-away look. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," he told her quickly, his mind remembering the perfect lie he had prepared for such a question. "I simply realised that I had chosen the wrong path when I was assigned to kill. It was an easy decision to make, but a difficult one to carry out."

"What do you think of the current Death Eater attacks which still occur regularly? According to the Ministry, there is no real threat, but most of the wizarding population seems to think otherwise. Do you believe that we are still in danger?"

Draco smiled to himself. _If you knew that I was behind all the attacks, would you still gawk at me from behind those hideous spectacles?_

"The wizarding folk should be aware that renegade Death Eaters are still on the loose. However, it is well past time that these criminals realised that Voldemort is dead."

"Spoken like a true 'Defeater of You-Know-Who'!" she exclaimed, writing as fast as she could. "Do you still keep in contact with the others?"

"Not at all, unless you count the Annual Ministry Parties, which reunites us for the special occasion. Otherwise, we are all very busy," he admitted.

"Not even Abigail Serpent?" she asked him slyly, watching his reaction closely. "You have been spotted a couple of times together in the Muggle world and our readers are extremely curious to know if you are currently dating the head of the Serpent family."

_Cunning wench!_ he thought, sensing she was trying to decipher his unreadable expression.

"Miss Serpent is only a friend," Draco corrected her, smiling in return. "At the time, she had certain financial difficulties which she needed help with."

"Oh," Rita added in surprise as she continued to write. "Also, this morning I heard about your current disagreements with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement concerning your unfair selection of employees. According to Amelia Bones, head of the department, the Ministry has received many complaints from non-Pureblood witches and wizards about your biased view on magical folk and their blood status."

"As I have already told the Ministry, these people have no proof of what they claim. They are simply bitter because they did not obtain the job they applied for – "

"And what of Miss Granger's statement?" Rita cut him off, a smile lingering on her bright red lips. "I am sure you are aware of the speech she gave out to the press this morning, following the Ministry's decision to investigate the matter."

He paused. He was well aware of Granger's unfortunate words at the Ministry this morning. She had called him a cold-hearted bastard, who still firmly believed in the purity of blood and swore that she would bring him to justice to be tried and imprisoned. Draco couldn't blame her, after all Granger was right.

"I am sure Miss Granger will change her mind after the investigation," Draco told her, keeping a calm composure. "I have nothing to hide. I'm afraid this will have to be the last question, Miss Skeeter, as I am a very busy man."

She nodded in return and pulled out another sheet of parchment. "Then I will have to ask what every witch in the UK is dying to know about you. Lord Malfoy, do you believe in love?"

Caught off guard, Draco's eyes widened a split-second before recovering their usual darkness.

"Malfoy Inc. is my top priority, I have no time for love."

**..~**~..**

* * *

After the interview, Draco sat comfortably in his high-backed black leather chair and let his mind drift away. Rita Skeeter's questions had forced him to remember things he had promised himself never to think about -

Hermione.

Opening the top desk drawer, he pulled out a newspaper clipping of the Gryffindor girl. It dated back to last November when she had completed her High Official training in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and became Amelia Bones' personal assistant.

His soft grey eyes skimmed over her picture.

She looked happy in it, smiling to the cameras and proudly holding up her diploma. She hadn't changed much over the years except that her curly chestnut hair was longer and her eyes had become darker. However, her dark brown eyes seemed to have lost something; they were different, colder perhaps. Draco couldn't tell what exactly had changed in her, but he knew for certain that it was somehow his fault.

_I hope you can forgive me._

He took a last look at the picture before hiding it back inside his drawer and then peered through his morning mail, littering his desk. He noticed an official letter from the Ministry, sealed no less by Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic. A glimpse of a smile grazed Draco's lips as his silver eyes glanced at the contents of the letter. It was a similar invitation to the ones that he had received the previous years and that he had always happily accepted.

_Dear Lord Malfoy,_

_You are cordially invited to the Annual Ministry Party in honour of the 'Defeaters of Voldemort'. This year the party followed by the press conference will be held at 8 p.m. on the twentieth of March, at the Ministry of Magic's Celebration Hall, Hogsmeade. Guests are expected to attend the party in formal Muggle clothes this year and each Defeater is also required to attend the press conference headed by the Daily Prophet newspaper. If you wish to attend the event, please let me know as soon as possible, as preparations will depend on the number of guests expected._

_With best wishes,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic_

_Ministry of Magic_

As he finished reading the letter, a soft knock was heard on his office door and his personal secretary, Miss Jones, quickly entered. "Sorry to interrupt sir, but Mr Zabini has just arrived and these are the files you asked for," she informed him, slipping a couple of red folders on his desk.

"Very well, Miss Jones, let him in," Draco told her, handing her several parchments to mail. "Also, could you write to the Minister and inform him that I accept his invitation."

"Of course sir," she replied, leaving his office.

Draco watched her closely as she left and a hint of annoyance flickered in his eyes. He knew very little about his new secretary, Hestia Jones and he didn't like it. She was a pink-cheeked, black-haired Pureblood witch, who had done various little jobs around the Ministry of Magic before she ending up working for Malfoy. Her family wasn't as wealthy as most Pureblood families, but they were quite respectable. None of them had shown a dislike for the Dark Arts nor did they seem to favour Albus Dumbledore. Draco found her quite suitable as his personal secretary, but the lack of information on her family's loyalties was a potential threat. After considering the matter several minutes, Draco decided that Hestia Jones was probably a safe girl, who was only trying to survive as best as she could in these troubled times, like so many other witches. However, being a Pureblood, she was more likely to be employed in Malfoy Inc. than Half-bloods and Mudbloods, although it wasn't a public policy in the company.

Suddenly, without warning, his office door swung open and Blaise Zabini, his closest friend, stepped in. He was wearing the latest fashion of robes, black of course, which matched perfectly with his short, raven-black hair. If Draco was top of the most eligible bachelor list, Blaise came second.

_Or maybe it's Potter_, Draco mused, thinking of the famous Quidditch player.

"Draco!" he greeted, slamming the door shut behind him, which automatically switched on the usual Silencing Charm and other anti-eavesdropping wards.

"What in Merlin's name is this?" Blaise asked him, holding up the Daily Prophet. The front page news was a very long article about Draco's trouble with the Ministry concerning the complaints.

Draco opened his mouth to comment, but Blaise cut in.

"Oh no, wait it gets better!" he told him sarcastically, opening the newspaper to the third page. "The Mudblood's done it again. Not only has she managed to insult you publicly, she'll also be defending the Ministry against Jugson and McGregor tomorrow!"

"So I've heard," Draco said calmly, grasping the article. "You've taken care of that, right?"

Jugson and McGregor, two Death Eaters employed by the Ministry were leaking information out about Aurors for Draco. Mad-Eye Moody, head of the Aurors, eventually found out and was able to trace it back to the two dark wizards.

"I've destroyed all evidence and even found alibis for both times they were spotted at the Department of Mysteries," Blaise explained to him, sitting down on the leather couch opposite the fireplace.

"Good. That's all we can do for now. I don't want any links to this trial considering my present situation with the Ministry, but be prepared to incorporate both their estates and companies in case they're sent to Azkaban. I don't want the Ministry to get hold of their possessions before Malfoy Inc.," Draco ordered, pacing the room.

He stopped and glanced back at his friend, his brows furrowed. "Don't disappoint me Blaise."

"Have I ever?" the arrogant black-haired wizard assured him, putting his feet up on the low coffee table as he poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey. "But what about Dumbledore. If the Order intervenes, they'll see right through the alibis and –"

"Dumbledore doesn't worry me," Draco sneered, standing behind him. "Trust me, I will deal with the old man and his Order very shortly."

_Once I find out who is part of his precious Order, they'll all be as good as dead._

"Good," Blaise said, smirking back. "The others will be glad to hear you say so at the next meeting. I have personally warned them all about it and they are eager to receive your next orders."

"Excellent," Draco said, sitting back down at his desk.

Although Blaise remained silent, Draco could feel his piercing blue eyes upon him.

"So, are you going out tonight?" he asked knowingly.

"Yes, I have a date," Draco answered swiftly, continuing to read through his mail.

"What kind of date?" Blaise demanded, lifting a brow at him before downing the rest of his drink.

"You already know where I'm headed tonight," Draco said, betraying a hint of annoyance. "I have work to do, Blaise, so if you don't mind I'd like to get on with it."

Blaise got up from the couch and headed for the door. "It's okay, I've got things to do too, mostly for Father. Don't forget to owl me, after the 'date' - I wish I could come."

Draco smirked in return. "As always."

**..~**~..**

* * *

Later that night, Draco watched intently through his black tainted window, the cold dark streets of North London. His black limousine drove prudently down dimly lit roads and alleyways seeking its prey. By now, only the few 24-hour shops were still open and the rare Muggles out on the streets were either too drunk to know where they were or purposely seeking the darkness of the late night.

Peering through his window closely, Draco finally spotted a lonesome hooded figure, walking hurriedly down the street. Although, the baggy jeans and large sweatshirt hid the person's figure and face, Draco could tell that it was a woman.

"Pull up," he ordered to his chauffeur and the black limo instantly stopped by the pavement alongside the hooded figure. The girl slowly stopped and turned her head to contemplate the expensive car and Draco thought he saw the glimpse of a smirk on the dark face. Glancing over her shoulders to make sure she wasn't being watched, she opened the backseat door and hopped in.

"Drive," Draco ordered once more and the car set off down the dark streets of London.

"I don't like being followed Malfoy," the hooded woman warned him, refusing the glass of wine Draco had poured for her. "Keep your men away or next time they will suffer the consequences."

"But then I couldn't have found you," he chuckled, settling himself in the leather couch. "So, how have you been doing?"

"Same as usual," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "But you, according to the papers, seem to be having more and more problems. Trouble in paradise, Malfoy?"

Her tone annoyed him, but he refused to lose his temper. It would only make matters worse.

"So you've heard Granger's little rant about me. Well, all I can say is that she's in for a big surprise."

"I wouldn't threaten the Ministry's new Interrogator and top Auror's fiancée if I were you," she told him quietly, gazing into his silver eyes.

Draco smirked in return. "Would you like to know why I picked you up from the streets?" he asked silkily.

"Don't talk to me like I'm some cheap whore, Draco," she snapped back, clenching her fists. "When is the next meeting then?"

"Tomorrow night, same time, same place," he drawled lazily. "I already know you're supposed to be working, but you'll just have to make up an excuse."

She hesitated, thinking on this new piece of information. "Fine, but this time, keep your Death Eaters away! It's bad enough that I have to meet up with you. If I ever were to get caught amongst black-hooded wizards by the Ministry or the Order; it would be the end of me."

"Deal."

As soon as the words came out, the car slowed down and parked alongside the pavement again. The young woman grabbed the door handle, suddenly eager to get out; however, she stopped and turned to face Draco once more.

"You know Malfoy, one day, I'll eventually find a way out of all this," she said in a low voice, before stepping out of the car.

"Oh, I very much doubt that, Abigail," Draco replied. He then closed the door before she could answer him and the black limo quickly disappeared down the dimly lit street.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Well, there's the first chapter! Did anyone guess that the woman in the car was Abigail before the end? I hope I managed to surprise the rest of you! How do you like this new Draco? A bit too rich and cocky, non? This chappie wasn't beta-read so if you notice an spelling mistakes, warn me, thanks.**

**I finished Half-Blood Prince and I thought it was brilliant. It made me cry although I thought Phoenix was better. I won't spoil anything but I'd love to hear people's thoughts and reactions to HBP because my friends haven't finished it yet.**

**The next chapter is about Hermione. You'll meet her fiancée, which I think most of you can already guess who he is and you'll see how she's been holding up the past three years…**

**Review!**


	2. Pain

**Author's Notes:** **Well here is the second chapter already! **

**Thank you all so much for the reviews: Darkreader** (I read your profile and was truly touched by the reviews you wrote on my fics and that you so highly recommended them! Thank you!), **twinklerbell23** (thank you, you're an amazing help!), **DodgerMcClure** (I'm glad you like the song, its one of my favourites), **tomfeltonlover1400** (I've updated DC so check it out!), **dracosgirl2515** (HBP made me cry too, but I think Phoenix is my favourite, can't wait for the movie though!), **xOxOkIsSmYaSsXoXo **(a lot more D/H action in this chapter, enjoy!),**spicecat38, Alenor** (Hehe, I know exactly how you feel about HBP but no Hermione's fiancé isn't Harry, good guess though),** nora, nightmistrie, MiXd EmOtIoNs08, Mirai-Trunks-gurl, beautifulgarbage** (I'm glad you liked D,S,L so much, hope you like the sequel!), **slytherinprincess4life, May** (Hehe, you guessed correctly! Yay! And you're right again, there's soo much more to come!) and **Pippin1177**

**Just to recap, Malfoy owns the largest wizard company and is accused by the Ministry of being prejudiced towards non-Pureblood people. He still leads the remaining Death Eaters and he is still in contact with Abigail.**

**Ok, so there's a lot of info in this chapter but the 3 opening chapters need to inform you what's been going on for the past 3 years and trust me, a lot has happened. So bear with me! **

**A big thank you to Amy, who beta-read this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

**..~**~..  
**

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Hermione Granger, age 21, top Interrogator for the Ministry of Magic and undersecretary to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, stood firmly on the high benches of the dimly lit Wizengamot court chamber.

For three years, after earning the title of the smartest witch Hogwarts had ever seen, she had worked hard to train as a High Official of the Ministry and subsequently became a judge, or as the wizarding world preferred to call it, an Interrogator.

Magically bound with chains to their chairs before her sat Jugson and McGregor, two employees of the Ministry, who worked in the Department of the Improper Use of Magic. They were on trial for stealing information concerning Aurors and snooping around the Department of Mysteries door. After all the facts, then witnesses and alibis (which were quickly discharged after Hermione saw through their lies) were presented, it was time for the jury to reach a verdict. After all, the two wizards had already confessed to their crimes.

The audience in front of her, a mix of Aurors, Ministry officials and journalists, seemed impatient too to know the final verdict, however, Hermione had one more question to ask - one more question but the most important of all.

Her dark brown eyes flicked down from Jugson, a tall dark man who looked defiantly back at her, to McGregor, a crooked man who avoided her gaze.

She picked him.

"Andrew McGregor, we have heard all the evidence against you and you have confessed to it yourself," she informed him. "For the past month, you have been passing secret information concerning Aurors for criminal purposes and prying around the Department of Mysteries for the same reasons."

She looked down at McGregor straight into his eyes and noticed that his face had become extremely pale. He seemed petrified by the upcoming verdict. "However, the jury will be indulgent if you answer the following questions. To whom were you passing the information? Who paid you to spy on the Department of Mysteries?"

By now, McGregor was simply shaking in his chair while his eyes darted back and forth between Hermione and Jugson.

"Are you or are you not in collaboration with renegade Death Eaters?" her voice boomed down upon him.

"He forced me to do it," McGregor finally spoke up, his voice trembling in fear.

"Shut your mouth, you coward!" Jugson shouted, beside him.

Their words caused several gasps among the crowded audience followed by muttering between most of the Wizengamot members. Several witches and wizards shook their heads in disgust while journalists scribbled hurriedly on their pieces of parchment. As the court scribe tried to calm down the audience, Hermione suddenly spotted two familiar faces amongst it.

_Ginny and Abigail - Of course, they're probably here for the Order –_

Her eye then caught sight of another redhead and she bit back a smile.

"He forced me to do it! He said that it was my duty as a Pureblood to help him, to help the Death Eaters!"

Again, a collective gasp was heard at the word "Death Eaters" and members of the audience began talking all at the same time. When silence was finally restored, Hermione looked confidently down at the two criminals.

"Mr. McGregor, who forced you to do it? Who paid you to spy on the Ministry?" she asked him determinedly.

However, he remained silent. Fear of the consequences seemed to have paralysed his tongue.

"We won't tell you a thing, Mudblood!" Jugson snarled back, fighting against his chains. "We won't betray our master, so you might as well give up now and send us to Azkaban!"

"Mr. McGregor," Hermione resigned to ask him the ultimate question. "The Ministry can protect you. Save yourself from Azkaban and tell us: who leads the Death Eaters?"

She paused, taking a deep breath.

"Is it Lord Malfoy?"

Instantly, the courtroom broke into uproars and shouts, but she didn't care. Both McGregor and Jugson's eyes went wide at her words and thus confirmed what she had told the Wizengamot for months. Malfoy was the new leader of the Death Eaters. He had financed and ordered the attacks on the wizard and muggle world since Voldemort's death. However, the Wizengamot wouldn't believe her.

If only McGregor had admitted that it was him.

As the cries carried on, Hermione turned away from the bench and came face to face with her boss, Amelia Bones, whom she respected very much, but who, at that instant, did not look happy at all.

**..~**~..**

* * *

"Miss Granger, you cannot continue with these accusations!" Madam Bones boomed at Hermione in her office.

She had won the case. McGregor and Jugson were safely locked away in Azkaban for the next five years. Unfortunately, Hermione had caused many problems for the Ministry, who now had to apologise publicly to 'Lord Malfoy'.

Readjusting her monocle, Madam Bones breathed in deeply before speaking again.

"I know you think that Draco Malfoy is somehow implicated with these renegade Death Eaters and believe me, Alastor Moody and his Aurors are looking into it. However, you cannot go about and say such things in public and even less so during a trial! You are the cleverest witch of your age Miss Granger, but such behaviour will get you into serious trouble if you do not stop!"

Hermione gulped nervously and kept her eyes to the ground as she faced the consequences of her actions.

"How much trouble am I in?" she asked quietly, wishing she could disappear into the floor rather than face Amelia Bones' fury.

"The Minister was furious of course," Madam Bones began, furrowing her brows. "But I managed to limit the damage – no, you are not discharged, nor is your newly acquired position of Interrogator revoked."

"Then what is it?"

She sighed heavily, looking straight into Hermione's eyes as she spoke. "The Minister himself has asked me that you represent one of his good friends in front of the High Wizard Court of Law during the course of next month. Consider this your punishment for the damage that you have caused to the Ministry earlier today."

Hermione looked up, confused. "But how will this case help in any way? Who am I suppose to defend?"

"Why, Lord Malfoy, of course."

**..~**~..**

* * *

Hermione was fuming by the time she left the second floor of the Ministry of Magic. Expecting hundreds of journalists ready to track her down at the street entrance, Hermione decided to floo out of the Ministry back to her flat. Dusting the soot of her robes, she spotted Ron sitting on the couch, waiting for her.

"Hey," she greeted him gloomily, kissing him lightly on the lips.

He was her boyfriend now and had been for nearly a year. Only a week ago, he had asked her to marry him and she had happily accepted. Although both their families had been informed, they had made sure to keep the news from the press until the last possible minute. Unfortunately, Lupin had been right about them after Voldemort's defeat. Since then, Hermione, along with Harry, Ron, Abigail and Malfoy, had been hounded like animals by the media and the rest of the wizarding world. At first they had wanted to know everything that had happened the night Lord Voldemort was defeated, but then the 'Defeaters of You-Know-Who' had become the main focus of the media and their private lives became front page news of every newspaper and magazine. Books had been released about them and fan clubs had been created and the five Defeaters became the main topic of conversation in every household and street.

"So, what did Madam Bones say?" Ron said, handing her a cup of tea.

Hermione took it gratefully. "Scrimgeour is making me work for Malfoy for the next month or so," she answered him deadpanned.

Ron's eyes opened wide.

"I have to represent that filthy rich prejudiced prat in court for the case that I've busted my ass to bring together for the past few months! It's either that, or we drop the charges we have against him. It's apparently my punishment for telling the truth about him in court today!"

Ron's jaw then dropped open. "WHAT?"

"My thoughts exactly," she mumbled, sipping her tea. "Damn it Ron, what am I going to do? Destroy all the evidence we have against him that we've fought so hard to get?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, remembering how hard the Aurors had worked to recruit the complaints against Malfoy and find more information that accused him of being a Death Eater. However, that was nothing compared to what the Order had done.

"Bloody hell, I can't believe they're making you work at Malfoy Inc. for a whole month. How could they even - hey, wait a minute!" he suddenly cried out, thinking of a plan. "'Mione, are you telling me that you'll be working in the headquarters of Malfoy Inc. for a whole month and you'll have access to their files?"

"I guess so, why?"

"Oh Merlin, don't you see? This is the opportunity we've been waiting for. An actual spy within his headquarters! Of course we've got Hestia there but she can't get hold of much, however you –"

"Ron!" Hermione butted in, putting her cup down. She couldn't believe her ears. "Are you asking me to spy for the Order?"

"Well I guess we'll need Dumbledore's consent but he'll be thrilled to know that –"

"No," she said firmly, getting up from the couch.

"What, but why?"

"You know why!" she answered firmly, turning around to face him. "Because I'm not part of the Order and I don't want to be part of it!"

His blue eyes showed his disappointment but he said no more. Hermione had always refused to become a member of the Order or even help them. She still held a grudge against Dumbeldore for the terrible mistake he had made back in Hogwarts and refused to have anything to do with him if she could, although no one knew about it.

"Listen," Hermione said more softly, taking his hand into her own. "Let's talk about something else. The Ministry Party is happening next weekend and –"

"Why are you like this?" Ron interrupted her suddenly, pulling his hand away as he stood up too. "What in Merlin's name happened in that forest after Voldemort's defeat that caused you to change?"

She lowered her eyes before they betrayed her, but she felt her hands starting to shake. "What? - What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb 'Mione, I know something happened to you. Or is it because of him? Because he left?" he said quietly, refusing to speak his name.

"No, Harry has nothing to do with it," she answered, her eyes flying up to his.

"Then it's that damned forest!" Ron continued, stepping closer to her. "What happened there that changed you so much? We all know Malfoy was there too, but why won't you tell us what happened?"

"Nothing happened Ron, you're just imagining things," she answered angrily, but he gripped her by the shoulders before she could turn away.

"I just want to help you 'Mione," he told her softly. "Everyday I see the pain in your eyes and it's driving me crazy because I don't know why. Please, just let me help you."

"You can't help me Ron!" she snapped, tearing herself away to hide the anxiety in her eyes. "So just drop it!"

She knew he was hurt by her words, but it was for the best. He could never understand. He turned away and headed for the chimney.

"Fine," he said, disappointment etched in his voice. "We're expected for dinner tonight at the Burrow, I'll see you there."

He flooed away before she could stop him. She was left staring at an empty fireplace, forced to face the memories he had brought back up.

_I'm so sorry but I can't tell you – you'd never understand - you'd hate me for it!_

_**..~**~..**  
_

* * *

Half an hour later, Hermione apparated at the Burrow. She had changed into comfortable muggle clothes and hoped that Ron had forgotten all about their argument.

As she walked into the kitchen, she greeted Molly and Arthur Weasley, her future parents-in-law.

"Hello, dear," Mrs Weasley said, a hint of worry in her voice. She had a few more lines etched on her face since the loss of her two sons. The Weasley family had been torn since the war; however, the Burrow never seemed empty with Abigail and herself around all the time.

"We heard about what happened this afternoon. What did Amelia Bones say to you? I hope the Ministry didn't dismiss you."

"No, no they didn't," Hermione told them. "But I think it's best that I tell you when everyone is here."

"Of course, dear," she approved, turning back to her cooking.

Hermione then noticed Ryan, Ginny's two-year-old son playing on the floor beside Abigail's St. Bernard dog, Beau. Hermione still didn't know why they had bought that puppy (which evolved into a ridiculously huge dog) for Abby two year ago.

"Hello Ryan," she said, kissing the top of his head. The little boy looked up at her with big hazelnut eyes and smiled brightly. Although his face resembled Ginny's, he had his father's black hair. Ginny had met Chris, a Ravenclaw, during her seventh year at Hogwarts. They had been dating for over a year when Ginny got pregnant by accident and a few months later, things suddenly got rough. Chris started coming home late claiming he was had been held up at Quidditch practice when in fact Ginny eventually found out that he was cheating on her. When she confronted him about it, he hit her. Fortunately, Abigail quickly found out about the incident and kicked Chris out of their flat. Ginny never heard from him since, although, being a Quidditch player, he was often in the news.

Little Ryan never met his father, but the Weasleys were always there for him, as well as Hermione and Abigail.

"Doggie! B! B!" he exclaimed, pointing to the dog.

"Yes, B," Hermione laughed softly.

Indeed, that was what everyone called the beast. She sat down at the table, keeping an eye on Ryan, whilst noticing Mr. Weasley seated at the other end of the table.

"Where are the girls?" Hermione asked, petting the huge dog.

"Oh, they're probably training outside," Mr. Weasley answered, whilst reading the Daily Prophet.

As he spoke, Ron apparated into the living room. He entered the kitchen with a grave face and didn't return Hermione's smile. Before anyone noticed the tension between them, Ginny and Abigail burst in from the garden.

"Hey guys!" Abigail greeted before her large dog pounced on her. "Urgh, B! Stop drooling on me, come on, out you go!"

She led him outside in the garden as Ginny picked up Ryan and sat beside Hermione. Once they were all seated around the table, eating away at Molly's fabulous dinner, Abigail finally spoke up.

"We saw you today in the courtroom Hermione," she began, looking up at her cousin. "Did Bones give you a hard time?"

"Worse than that," Hermione answered truthfully and then explained to them what the Ministry had asked her to do.

A long silence followed.

"Oh Merlin!" Ginny finally let out, staring back at Hermione with wide eyes.

"For Heaven's sake!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, slamming her cup on the table. "I always knew the Minister was no good but to actually make you work for that complete scoundrel –"

"It's okay Mrs Weasley," Hermione reassured. "It will only be for a month or so."

Their reactions didn't surprise her. However, she noticed Abigail hadn't said a word yet. Instead her dark brown eyes were watching her intently.

**..~**~..**

* * *

After dinner, the three girls found themselves alone, cleaning up the kitchen while Ron had gone with his father to the study to see his collection of Muggle artifacts and Mrs. Weasley was knitting in the living room.

"Merlin Hermione, what are you going to do?" Ginny asked quietly, her amber eyes filled with worry.

She was the only one, along with Abigail, who knew exactly what had happened between her and Malfoy.

"I don't know Ginny, let's not talk about it," Hermione answered, annoyed, as she washed up the dishes. She didn't really want to start thinking about Malfoy again, it was late and she had had a very long day and Ginny's questioning wasn't helping at all.

"What do you mean, '_let's not talk about it_'?" she repeated in disbelief. "But this is Malfoy! We can't _not_ talk about him! This is the same Malfoy that you haven't spoken to for the past three years and that you'll be meeting first thing tomorrow morning! What the hell are you going to do?"

As Hermione chose not to answer, Ginny threw her hands in the air.

"Merlin's beard! Abigail, help me out here!" she exclaimed, turning to face her friend, who was taking care of Ryan.

At last, Abigail spoke up. "She's right, you know. What are you going to do once you're face to face with him? Do you think you can even handle it?"

Hermione spun around in anger. "What do you mean 'can I handle it'? It's been three years since he left me! What, do you think I still care about him or something – no, I've got Ron now! Facing Malfoy tomorrow will be fine! This isn't some big drama Abby, it's just another job I have to do, it's not the end of the world!"

Her voice caused Ryan to cry and Ginny quickly took him out of Abby's arms.

"Working for Malfoy Inc. might just be another job to you," Abigail retorted, her dark eyes searching Hermione's hazel ones, "but as you've said, it's been three years since you've seen Malfoy and he isn't the same person. He's a multimillionaire Death Eater now and if you push him too far, he will harm you Hermione! You have to understand; you know so much about him that you're a threat now, especially since you've started attacking him in public."

She paused, apparently deciding whether or not she should go on.

"He's not our friend anymore," she continued softly, as Hermione listened to her with a clenching gut. "Remember, tomorrow you'll be facing Lord Malfoy or whatever it is he likes to call himself - not Draco."

An unbearable silence followed her words. None of them had pronounced Malfoy's first name since he had left, and for Hermione, hearing that single name suddenly brought back memories from her seventh year at Hogwarts. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat as tears started to well up in her eyes but she didn't fight them back.

Abigail was right. Malfoy had changed for the worst over the years; they had all seen it. He was no longer the 17-year-old boy that she had once loved.

"We'd better leave or we'll be late for work," Ginny spoke up, taking her son upstairs to bed.

The two girls worked most nights of the week in a wizard nightclub in London. It was easy work for easy money and they both needed it.

Abigail handed Hermione a tissue. "Be careful tomorrow and if you need me, just ask."

With a flick of her wand, all the dishes were clean and the sink was dry. Ginny then came back down and after thanking her mother for the dinner, they left for work with B.

"Are you alright dear?" Molly asked her, making them both a cup of tea.

"I'm fine, maybe a bit tired," Hermione answered, sitting back down at the table.

"Well it's perfectly normal, you've had a long day and –"

But she never finished her sentence, as an owl suddenly flew in through the open kitchen window and landed next to Hermione. They both stared at the snowy owl a few seconds before looking at each other in surprise.

Hedwig!

"You'd better open it now dear before Ron comes back," Mrs. Weasley said, quickly closing the kitchen door.

Hermione nodded and took the piece of parchment from the owl's leg. She flew off hurriedly, apparently not expecting a response.

_Thank God Abigail isn't here either!_ Hermione thought as she opened the letter and read it. But suddenly, her face turned pale and her eyes opened wide.

"Hermione, dear, is everything alright?"

"He's – he's back!" Hermione stuttered, her eyes skimming over the letter again.

"What do you mean he's back?"

"Apparently it's still a big secret, but he flew back to London yesterday. The World Quidditch Cup is happening soon and he's here to play for England. He says he'll see us all this weekend at the party!" she explained quickly, not believing her eyes.

"Thank Merlin!" Mrs. Weasley cried out in joy. "It's about time Harry came home!"

**..~**~..**

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was a nervous wreck. She went early at the Ministry to pick up a few files before setting out to Malfoy Inc. She arrived at the entrance of the huge skyscraper and taking a stabling deep breath, she walked in. She stepped into the entrance hall and told the receptionist who she was.

"Take the elevator on your right up to the top floor. Lord Malfoy is waiting for you," the woman informed her.

Hermione stepped inside the elevator and tried to clear her mind but instead it wandered off, thinking about the previous night. After Mrs Weasley had asked her not to tell anyone about Harry's return, Hermione had finally talked to Ron and made up with him and then spent the night with him in her flat.

After a long ride in the elevator, the doors suddenly opened and revealed a richly decorated and deserted corridor. Feeling butterflies in her stomach and her heart beating faster with every step, Hermione walked slowly down the long corridor until she arrived at a rather large desk behind which sat Hestia Jones, member of the Order.

"Go ahead, Miss Granger," she said, winking at her and pointing to a large glass door.

Feeling her heart pound against her chest, Hermione turned to face the door. With a trembling hand, she knocked on it. It suddenly seemed to hit her that she was about to see Draco Malfoy again, the one who had stolen her heart and then crushed it so many years ago. The one she had sworn to bring to justice and then spent days working alongside the Auror department to try and find enough evidence about his Death Eater activities.

She felt her vision blur and time seemed to slow down as her hand turned the doorhandle. Her feet began to take her inside the large office and with a pounding heart, her gaze finally caught sight of Malfoy, who was sitting behind his desk, looking down at some papers.

He noticed her presence and lifted his head up, his silver gaze catching hers. Hermione felt the air being sucked out of her lungs, paralysing her nerves.

His eyes – she hadn't seen those mysterious soft grey eyes for three long years –

They stared back at her, wide, unblinking and - empty.

"Ah, Miss Granger," he greeted her, standing up from his chair. "Pleasure to meet you again."

And then, against all odds, he extended his hand for her to shake it. Stunned, Hermione's eyes flicked down at the pale hand and then back up into his penetrating silver eyes.

They showed no sign of recognition.

"Right," Malfoy added, taking back his hand. "Well, you already know why you're here. I've freed an office for you on another floor and the files which you will need for the case are already stored there, waiting for you. If you need anything else, please make sure to tell my secretary, Miss Jones."

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. She was too shocked by Malfoy's formal behaviour to even think. All she could do was stare at him, at his tall and lean figure covered by his black wizard robes, which emphasised his creamy white skin. His hair, still platinum blond, shone against the sunlight filtering through the large glass windows behind him.

He stood quite majestically, as always and looked down at her with a passive face, which, as always, masked his true emotions. Although he seemed to have grown a few inches and his voice sounded deeper, Malfoy hadn't changed at all.

"Any questions?" he finished.

_Draco - my God - Draco, is that you? _

Clearing her throat, she spoke up at last. "Yes, actually, I have a question."

Her voice was quiet and betrayed her emotional state. "Um - why did you ask for me to defend your case, why not take someone else, someone who doesn't actually –"

But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Did she really hate Malfoy? She wasn't sure, but she had sworn that she would bring him to justice and she would.

"Despise me?" he supplied for her, raising a curious eyebrow. "Well, you're the best there is at what you do and I've always wanted what's best."

He gave her a fake smile as if he was trying to assure her, but Hermione felt disgusted. Always wanted what's best? What was that supposed to mean? Is that why he left her three years ago in the rain? Is that why she had suffered for so long because like the spoiled child that he was, he always wanted what's best?

Feeling the anger boil in her veins, Hermione resisted the urge to spit in his face.

"Always wanted what's best?" she repeated, venom in her voice. "Like taking over from Voldemort."

She noticed his face turn paler at her words.

"Excuse me?"

His eyes had suddenly turned a darker shade of grey, but she didn't care. How dare he act as if nothing had ever happened? As if that terrible night, three years ago, had all been just some fiction of her imagination?

"You heard me, Malfoy," she spat out, keeping her eyes on his. "Now unless there's something else you wish to tell me, I'll go find my office."

Tearing herself from his gaze, Hermione walked out of the room, rapidly closing the door behind her. She didn't know where she was headed, but Hestia was kind enough to give her all the information she needed and ten minutes later, she sat down at the desk, ready for work. However, her head was swimming in confusion. All she could think about was Malfoy's attitude. He had seen her and shown complete indifference. What the hell was that?

She had dreamt and imagined meeting him again countless times and everytime he had either been angry, happy, sad and sometimes sorry, but never indifferent. But then again, she was dealing with Draco Malfoy, the man who always kept an expressionless face no matter what. She should have known how he would act.

Still, didn't she mean anything to him anymore? Hadn't he had the same flashbacks as her in the office when his eyes had locked onto hers? Had he really forgotten everything about his last year at Hogwarts?

That night, Hermione cried herself to sleep.

**..~**~..**

* * *

_I was young but I wasn't naive  
I watched helpless as you turned around to leave  
And still I have the pain I have to carry  
A past so deep that even you could not bury if you tried_

_After all this time  
I never thought we'd be here  
Never thought we'd be here  
When my love for you was blind  
But I couldn't make you see it  
Couldn't make you see it  
That I loved you more than you'll ever know  
A part of me died when I let you go_

_(Blind – Lifehouse)_

_**..~**~..**  
_

* * *

**Ok, I admit, I adore Lifehouse, but doesn't that song suit Hermione perfectly? Anyways, chapter 2, I warned you about the info! What with Hermione getting married to Ron, Ginny being a single mother, the whole deal with Harry and then Hermione and Draco meeting again - there's a lot for you to comment on, so please, please, please - **

**REVIEW!**

**In return, I'll tell you more about the next chapter: It's called Pleasure and its Abby's POV. You'll learn more about Harry and why he left, you'll finally see Fred again and you'll also meet the Order of the Phoenix!**


	3. Pleasure

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! For those of you who still don't know, he belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Author's Notes: Well I'm back for good, the holidays are definitely over for me as college is starting soon. Anyway I just saw the trailer for GoF, the new HP movie and it looks really cool. I'll definitely be at the Premiere if I can!**

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed so far, I'm really excited about this sequel, y'all seem to like it so far! Yay!**

**Big thank you to: Emily, nora, Malfoy'sAngel **(your questions about Abby should be answered in this chappie and yeah – I know exactly what you mean about Draco :) ), **MissDitzy** (you guessed correctly, Abby's still indebted. Read on!), **DodgerMcClure, dracosgirl2515, ****sApPhire rAiin, xOxOkIsSmYaSsXoXo, spicecat38, nightmistrie, magichappens11, May **(you're right, Draco was 'dying' to talk to her…), **I Dream of Draco, seghen, Pippin1177** (all I can say is that the Death Eaters certainly don't like Hermione.), **sussan, AlexaPatronus6, JTfanaddict **(hehe, good guess about Ron, but will they get married? Not if Draco can do something…),** TariElena **(It was Harry's name, Ron wouldn't speak because he's mad at him)**, crazyboy88, beaugarbage, DeadRose21, sarah and Tina3001**

**On with the story!**

**..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Abigail Serpent, age 20, head of the Serpent family and member of the Order of the Phoenix, woke up in a start to the sound of her alarm clock. Switching it off, she slowly sat up in her bed, careful not to wake up the man sleeping by her side.

It was Luke, one of her on and off boyfriends, also a regular customer to 'The Hellfire Club', the wizard bar she worked with Ginny. She had been on a couple of dates with Luke before and sometimes spent the night with him in her flat. It usually occurred after a late night shift at the club and a lot of drinking. They always went to Abigail's flat in central London, where she felt more secure because of the advanced anti-Apparation and anti-jinxes spells she had cast on it. The security at her flat was almost as powerful as the magic protecting the vaults at Gringotts or even Hogwarts castle. It was necessary since she was a member of the Order and also because she was still in contact with Draco Malfoy. She had only lived in her flat for six months, but she liked it and it was certainly big enough for both Abigail and her dog, Beau.

Getting out of bed, Abigail headed straight for the shower to scrub the smell of cigarettes and alcohol off her. She spent as much time as she could in the shower as she tried to drown her hangover and forget the previous night. She didn't like Luke, he was just some nice guy she had once flirted with at the bar (like so many others) and since then he had stuck around her, hoping for more.

Abigail hadn't had a proper boyfriend for the past three years - at least nothing serious since, well - since the one who left her.

She took a long look at herself in the mirror. She looked like a mess; the red streaks in her messy jet-black hair were fading out to soft pink, her skin was too pale and she had dark circles around her dull eyes.

_That's what you get when you only have three hours sleep! _

She walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in her towel and noticed that Luke was awake. He was reading a book, but as Abigail took a closer look, she suddenly recognised the _book_ and felt the colour drain from her face.

"Merlin, how could I forget about this: you were Harry Potter's girlfriend!" Luke exclaimed amused as he skimmed through a small leather bound book – her diary.

"Luke, give it back!" Abigail said sharply.

Seeing him continue to read through the book, she decided to grab her wand instead.

"_Accio diary!_" It flew into her hand.

"Hey, I was reading that!" he complained.

"Not anymore, now get dressed! I don't want to be late for work," she said coldly, throwing his clothes at him.

He slipped on his wizard robes and smiled cockily back at her. "Struck a nerve, did I?"

"Fuck you and get the hell out of my flat!" she answered angrily, clutching the diary to her chest.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the deal," he said bitterly, heading for the door. "I'll see you at the club."

Once he was out of sight, Abigail let out a deep breath and looked down at her diary. It had been months since she had looked at it. She had started writing it at the beginning of her seventh year at Hogwarts and had continued over the next few years. Newspaper clippings and articles were stuck in it as well, fattening the diary but it still seemed as good as new. It represented a part of her life that she so desperately wanted to forget, that she kept it hidden under her bed.

Sighing, she took one last look at the diary before throwing it away and decided to get dressed for work.

She had found a job at the Ministry at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures two years ago. She worked in the Beast division and had her own office, but she didn't earn much, which was why she also worked at the Hellfire Club. Her job consisted in healing sick magical creatures all around the country, which also proved helpful for the Order since she was free to come and go as she pleased at the Ministry.

As she used her wand to fix her tired and hung over face, she didn't notice her dog, Beau, walk inside her room and start sniffing the diary. Turning around in time, Abigail quickly snatched the diary away as she noticed her dog starting to chew on it. However, a page was torn out by accident.

"B! Now look what you did! Bad dog!" she scolded him, holding up the torn out page. She tried to fix it hastily, but her eyes caught sight of the particular page and she stopped, staring down, unblinking, at the crinkled piece of paper between her fingers and the words written on it.

It dated back to her seventh year at Hogwarts, October 14th.

_"I saw Harry today,"_ it read, _"and things didn't go very well."_

Abigail could feel the dried tear stains on the paper and although she was late for work, she read on.

_"I can't even remember what we argued about, it all went so fast. And now Harry's gone and I have the feeling that he's not coming back."_

**..~**~..**

(flashback)

Abigail sat quietly in the Three Broomsticks, looking down at different flyers on the table before her, each giving out information about potential careers. As she sat lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice a tall raven-haired boy step up behind her nor did she see the wide-eyed stares from the other students.

"Hey gorgeous!" Harry greeted suddenly, kissing her on the neck.

"You're late!" Abigail retorted, turning to kiss him on the lips.

"Sorry, had an interview," he answered casually, sitting down opposite her. A butterbeer was already waiting for him on the table.

"Again?" she exclaimed, amused. "I don't understand how you can enjoy this whole fame thing."

Seeing his eyes narrow from across the table, Abigail's smile fell.

"So, what are you looking at?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, potential jobs after Hogwarts," she answered, her eyes skimming over the pamphlets. "I still want to work with magical creatures, but apparently it doesn't pay that well."

Harry pondered on her words as he took a sip of his butterbeer. Since Abigail's father had disowned her, she had had very little money for herself and had always refused her friends' help.

"Listen Abby," he began, taking her hand in his. "You know I'm more than willing to lend you –"

"No, it's ok," she assured him. "Next week, I should finally inherit the money from my mother and in the meantime, my aunt Isabelle is helping me out. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Harry didn't seem convinced. "Well, if you ever do need my help, just let me know."

"I will."

Abigail looked down once more at the leaflets before her and smiled. "So, do you have any plans for next year yet?"

Harry sat back in his chair, drinking his beverage. "Some, but I can't tell you about them just yet. Besides, I kind of like things the way they are."

She snorted in return. "You mean doing absolutely nothing all day except giving out interviews and going to Ministry parties?"

"What's wrong with that?" he asked frowning.

Abigail looked back at him incredulously. "Oh Harry, come on! You can't do that for the rest of your life!"

"Why the bloody hell not?" he exclaimed, betraying a hint of anger. "I earned it, didn't I? I had a crap childhood and lived in fear of Voldemort for most of my life! Is it too much to ask to just lay back and have fun now?"

As he stopped, the whole pub became quiet. Apparently, everyone had heard the exchange and they all stared back at the couple with interest. Shooting dark looks around her, Abigail grabbed her Hogwarts cloak and pulled Harry out of his seat. Both of them headed out of the Three Broomsticks and walked silently up to the edge of the forest and the Shrieking Shack.

Finally Abigail took a deep breath and turned to face Harry.

"I'm sorry, Harry. Of course you deserve your peace and quiet now that Voldemort is gone, but don't you have dreams of your own? Something you've always wanted to do?"

"Of course I do!" he answered sharply, turning his gaze away from hers.

"I mean, haven't you ever wanted to do something else or find out what you're really worth, you know... without all the fame and attention?"

Seeing the hurt and angry look on his face, Abigail knew she had accidentally hit a nerve.

"Yes Abby, it's a question that's been lingering on my mind ever since I started Hogwarts," he said bitterly. "Thanks for reminding me that I'm worth nothing without this scar on my forehead!"

"That's not what I meant!" she retorted, trying to take his hand in hers but he moved away.

"Don't worry, you're absolutely right," he admitted, deadpanned. "It's probably time I did something with my life."

And before she could say another word, he disapparated. Abigail knew she should have gone after him but since it was nearly time to head back to the castle, she didn't.

A couple of days later, she received an owl from Hermione, warning her that Harry had made plans and was leaving England the next day. Abigail didn't manage to reach him in time before he left and never saw him again since their dispute at Hogsmeade. He completely disappeared off the face of the earth for six months, only to suddenly reappear in Mexico, as a Quidditch player.

His sudden departure had torn Abigail apart with guilt and worry and she soon sank into depression. Only Dumbledore had been able to help her and as soon as she left Hogwarts, she became an active agent of the Order. However, Malfoy, during their last encounter, had been right. The war, although secret, was still on and therefore to maintain her powers and upon Dumbledore's request, Abigail had begrudgingly resumed her lessons with Malfoy in absolute secrecy.

**..~**~..**

* * *

After a long day at work, which consisted in healing an Augurey, which had a broken its wing in Dublin, and then capturing a Hippogriff which had escaped from its stable near Hogsmeade, Abigail returned home.

She smiled as she found Fred Weasley sitting on her kitchen counter, reading the Daily Prophet and a piece of toast in his mouth. Although still the famous owner of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Fred Weasley had also become a public relations agent for Ron, Hermione and Abigail since Voldemort's defeat. He had greatly suffered from the loss of his twin brother George after the war, but knew how to hide his pain behind his sense of humour.

"How am I not surprised?" Abigail teased him, casting a spell to clean the mud footprints he had left on the wooden floor. "You know, just because you've got a key to my flat, it doesn't mean you can come here every evening and raid my fridge."

"Hey, I fed your dog," he said indignantly, as Abigail snatched the newspaper out of his hand.

"So, any news?" Abigail asked indifferently, making herself a cup of tea. "I have a mission tonight, so be quick."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your knickers in a twist," he retorted, pulling out a bunch of letters from his dragon skin jacket.

"Here's your mail," he said, handing her the pile. "You'll notice the drastic increase since that git Malfoy mentioned your name in his interview and also because of the Annual party, coming up this weekend. Don't forget that the invitation is still in my office and so fortunately for me, you'll have to come by–"

But Abigail wasn't listening anymore. Her eyes were suddenly fixed on a piece of parchment adorned with the Serpent family seal. It was from her father.

Breaking the seal open, Abigail quickly read the letter inside, catching Fred's attention.

"What does _he_ want?" he asked, his voice showing suspicion.

"It's a reminder," Abigail answered with disgust. "Apparently _Daddy dearest_ has found some new way to delay paying up the money I rightfully own. I'd completely forgotten about this law."

"Is this another one of those stupid laws you have to abide to?" Fred asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah and it's an important one," Abigail sighed. "If the Serpent head doesn't get married within the five years she comes of age, then the Serpent powers and heritage are passed on to someone younger. It's an ancient law that was created to ensure that our family name doesn't die out. Most Purebloods used to follow the same rule, but that was more than a century ago. I can't believe he's pulling this sort of shit on me again!"

Fred put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Abby. You'll be fine."

"No, I won't," she exclaimed, showing him the letter. "Unless I get married before my 22nd birthday, I'll never get my inheritance."

"So? That leaves you another two years, right?" Fred concluded, crushing the letter into a ball. "Well actually, one year to find a decent bloke and then another for the wedding preparations."

"Right," Abigail said, a smile lingering on her lips. She always loved being around Fred; he always knew how to make a joke out of everything.

He winked at her. "Alright, so you're broke for the next couple of years, what's new? Now, let's talk about a more crucial issue: what the hell does the Minister mean by '"formal Muggle clothes"?"

**..~**~..**

* * *

An hour later, Abigail met Ginny in the park next to her flat. It was their rendezvous point for the Order mission.

"Are you ready?" Abigail asked casually, casting a warmth spell on her clothes, which consisted on black trousers and a black sweatshirt.

"Yeah, I've got the bag and here are the coordinates," Ginny answered, a bit more nervous. Although Abigail had nothing to lose, Ginny had her son, Ryan, to think about now. That night, their mission consisted of stealing back an object from the Zabinis. It was an Orb that had been stolen from Hagrid's hut a couple of months ago. Hestia Jones was lucky enough to overhear Zabini tell Malfoy about it and after Lupin had been sent to spy on the Zabini manor, the Order was sure that the Orb was inside and therefore had sent Abigail and Ginny to retrieve it.

Abigail wasn't too sure why a crystal ball was so important to the Order, but Dumbledore had been adamant about stealing it back and she didn't want to question his motive. At least, the Zabini family would be absent from the manor that night, attending a party at the Dolohovs.

Taking Abigail's hand in her own, Ginny nodded at her and they both apparated inside the manor with a loud crack. The whole Zabini grounds were heavily protected with anti-Apparation wards and only Abigail was able to bypass them and multi-apparate at the same time.

"Okay, we're on the top floor, in the closet as planned," Ginny whispered, peering through the gap of the closet door.

She then turned to Abigail and saw her stumble against the wall with a pale face.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked with worry.

"No," Abby admitted, closing her eyes. "I feel exhausted. The anti-Apparation wards were more powerful than I expected. I don't think I'll be able to disapparate us out."

A flicker of fear passed through the youngest Weasley's eyes, but then her Gryffindor courage seemed to kick in.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," she assured Abigail. "We'll just have to leave by foot."

"Easier said than done," Abby whispered back, pulling out her wand. "Let's be quick."

They both stepped out quietly of the closet and searched the top floor for the master bedroom where the Orb was supposed to be.

"Here it is!" whispered Ginny, opening double doors leading to a huge darkly lit room.

"_Lumos!_" Abigail cast and then proceeded to look for the crystal ball.

As Ginny searched inside the wardrobe, Abigail looked around the rest of the room. Suddenly, her eyes set upon a small wooden chest on the large desk facing a window. Counter-cursing the jinxes and spells set upon the chest, she managed to open it and inside she found a large crystal ball, with a hint of blue in the centre, sitting on red velvet.

"Did you find it?" Ginny whispered loudly.

But Abigail didn't answer. She kept looking at the Orb as memories flooded her mind. She had seen the exact same Orb in Dumbledore's office during her last year at Hogwarts. He had let her peer inside of it, like a pensieve, and she had seen images within it that still haunted her at night.

"Abby!" Ginny hissed, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Someone's coming, quick!"

Closing the lid, Abigail took the chest and quickly stuffed it into Ginny's black bag.

"Let's go."

She opened the huge balcony windows quietly and the two girls levitated themselves down to the ground. Looking out for any sign of danger and finding none, they quickly ran across the garden towards the woods. As they reached the edge, Ginny suddenly spotted three large shadows to their left, emerging from the trees.

"We're being followed," she warned Abby as they continued to run.

"Wizards?"

"No, three dogs," Ginny said, glancing over her shoulder. "Really big ones too. Don't worry I'll take care of them."

Coming to a halt, she turned around brandishing her wand ahead of her, ready to curse them. But she didn't.

"Merlin help us!" she cried faintly. "Abby, those aren't dogs – they're werewolves!"

Abigail stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. "What?"

"How is it possible?" Ginny exclaimed, paralysed on the spot as the werewolves grew closer. "It's not the full moon!"

"Shit! Ginny run!"

Panicked, Ginny sprinted back towards Abigail as the three fearsome beasts quickly closed up on them with every passing second.

"Head for the woods!" Abigail shouted, taking out her wand from her back pocket. "Keep running, I'll slow them down."

Turning around the face them, she cast several stunning spells their way. There were three of them, a huge dark beast, another black one and a grey one. They didn't seem to notice Ginny, who ran towards the forest and disappeared within the dark shadows of the trees.

"_Impedimenta!_" Abigail shouted at the tallest of the werewolves, but it didn't seem to faze him.

She needed more powerful spells. Hiding behind a nearby tree, Abigail waited for the closest hound to find her. She had already confronted werewolves before, but this one was huge. It had dark fur and tiny yellow eyes.

Abigail saw it stop a few metres away from her to sniff the air. Growling in her direction, she didn't hesitate and she cast the first spell that came to her mind.

"_Stonificus!_"

This time the spell worked and Abigail watched as the werewolf, standing on all fours, slowly turned into stone. However, Abigail wasn't sure how long the spell would last on such a huge beast and so she quickly ran away, deeper into the woods, before it could come alive again.

As she ran further away from the manor, she could feel the magic barriers gradually fade around her.

_Just a little bit more and I'll be able to apparate us out of here!_

Suddenly, she heard the rustling of another werewolf behind her. She clutched her wand tightly, ready to strike, but then a deafening scream resonated through the woods, chilling her to the bone.

_Ginny!_

Her heart pounded frantically against her chest as she searched the woods for her friend. All of a sudden, she caught sight of the black werewolf, growling ferociously at a terrified Ginny, cornered by some tall bushes. She had lost her wand.

"Ginny!" Abby shouted, but it was too late.

The werewolf had pounced before she could stop him and the grey one was immediately behind her. Running towards Ginny, she cast another stunning spell at the black werewolf. It changed course abruptly and came charging towards her. Before she could say a word, it swiftly grabbed her by the neck and threw her against a tree trunk.

Abigail felt her head burst with pain as it banged against the hard wood. She fell to the ground, crying out as she heard her ankle crack. Her hair had fallen into her face, but her eyes didn't fail to notice the two werewolves slowly making their way towards her, snarling.

They had smelt her blood.

Abigail couldn't think straight as she watched the two beasts lick their lips in anticipation. Her hands shook in fear as she slowly stood up on one foot and spotted an unconscious Ginny on the ground ahead of her.

And then, she felt it. The wards – she couldn't feel them anymore - she could apparate!

She lifted her wand and sent a string of curses towards the werewolves as a distraction whilst she staggered blindly towards her friend.

"Ginny!" she shouted, but heard no reply. She finally managed to stun the black werewolf, but the grey one was hot on her heels.

As she reached her red-head friend, the last werewolf pounced in the air, ready to kill. As it reached them, Abigail managed to grab Ginny's arm in one hand and the black bag in the other and instantly disapparated from the woods in time.

The two girls landed painfully on an asphalt ground in a small deserted alleyway.

"Shit, that was so close," Abigail finally breathed out.

She heard Ginny wince and groan as she began to stir.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Abigail asked worried, trying to heal her friend's cuts and bruises as she spoke.

"I'll live," she said weakly. "Where are we?"

"Grimmauld Place," Abigail replied, pulling herself up on her one good foot.

"Bloody hell, I can't believe it - werewolves!" Ginny whispered. "We could have ended up in shreds. This was never part of the mission - we could have fucking died, Abby!"

"Yeah, I know," Abby replied, frowning deeply. "But we made it and we got the Orb back."

"Merlin," Ginny breathed out, slowly rolling on her back. "Thanks for saving me, by the way."

"Don't worry," Abby answered with a hint of sadness. "It was my pleasure."

**..~**~..**

* * *

"Merlin's Beard! What happened?" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she saw her daughter being levitated through the front door.

"Arthur, Bill!" she cried out over her shoulder. "It's Ginny! Quick, take her upstairs and lay her out on a bed. I'll grab my wand."

Part of the Order, sitting in the kitchen for a meeting, watched anxiously as Arthur and Bill took Ginny upstairs. Grabbing her wand, Mrs Weasley quickly asked McGonagall to fetch Madame Pomfrey from Hogwarts and then disappeared upstairs too.

Abigail, with Fred's help, hobbled into the kitchen, facing the rest of the members.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Ron exclaimed.

"Werewolves," Abigail said in a low and dangerous voice. "We were attacked by werewolves."

"But it isn't the full moon yet!" Lupin exclaimed, standing up from his seat.

'"Exactly," she said fiercely, letting Hestia heal the cut on the back of her head. "Zabini isn't going to get away with this!"

"Woah - slow down Serpent," Moody called out opposite her. "We ain't got nothing on Zabini Sr. yet and neither has Jones. He can't be touched."

"If we capture the werewolves, then he's history," Abby explained hotly in return. "Lupin, search the woods behind the Zabini manor and warn me when you've found them. Your smell should attract them before they transform again."

However, Lupin shook his head. "It's not so simple Abby, the other werewolves don't trust me and –"

"I don't care Lupin, just find the bastards!" she cried out, standing up on her feet.

"Abigail," said a quiet voice from behind her, "there is no need for such language."

Turning around, she saw Dumbledore at the kitchen door, followed by Pomfrey and McGonagall who were shown upstairs to Ginny by Fred.

"Alastor, Remus," he continued, turning to them. "Go back to the manor and see if you can recognise these werewolves. Do not confront them, report immediately back to me and try not to be seen."

Both men left the kitchen straight away.

"Now except for Abigail, the rest of you are dismissed for tonight. If there is an emergency, I will warn you. Goodnight."

They all got up and filed out of the kitchen door, bidding farewell as they left.

"I have many questions for you, but first of all," Dumbledore said gravely. "I will do my best to heal your ankle. I see that you have broken it."

He took out his wand and tapped it gently against her foot. Immediately, Abigail felt the pain go away.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, I think it is best that you start from the beginning."

Taking a deep breath, Abigail told him everything that had happened at Zabini manor and eventually showed him the Orb in the bag that was still clutched in her hand.

"Professor," she couldn't help but ask, "isn't that the same Orb, you once showed me in your office?"

"Yes, it is," he admitted, putting the crystal ball back in the wooden chest. "I had lent it to Hagrid sometime before it was stolen by a thief working for Lord Zabini. Now you understand why we so desperately needed to steal it back."

"Yes, of course," Abigail replied, fidgeting in her seat. She knew Dumbledore had one more question to ask her and it scared her above all.

"Abigail," he said, sitting down beside her. "Tell me, do you know of the curse that allows a man to transform into a wolf without a full moon?"

"Yes professor," she answered truthfully. She couldn't seem to bring herself to look him in the eye and stared firmly at her ankle instead. "It's a curse from one of the Serpent books, which I taught Malfoy at the beginning of the year. I'm so sorry, that's why I wanted to catch the werewolves at Zabini manor, I want to fix this! Ginny could have died!"

Dumbledore paused. He seemed lost in his thoughts for a while.

"There is no need to be sorry, Abigail," he finally spoke up, standing again. "If it is the only way for you to keep your family magic and continue to be part of the Order, then so be it."

**..~**~..**

* * *

**So there's Abby for you. I haven't made it easy for her either, but where's the fun if they all have simple lives? **

**Just to clear things up, Abby is indebted to Draco because she helped to defeat Voldemort and now she must help him out to keep her magic. Also, now you all know what happened to Harry; he left them all to be a Quidditch player but he'll be back very very soon! Oh and this was my first time writing Fred, so tell me what you think!**

**As for Draco and Hermione, they'll be back in the next chapter, promise!**

**Review – pretty please :)**


	4. Encounters

**Author's Notes: Well as you can see I've had times on my hands and so I've been able to update both my fanfics! There are a few surprises in this chapter and I hope you'll like them.**

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed, I wouldn't continue writing without your wonderful support!**

**Shout outs: Jtfanaddict **(Hey, you'll be glad to hear more about Harry in this chapter, I'm glad you didn't find Fred too OOC.), **seghen, May **(hihi, I updated within a week, yay! Your site sounds cool!)**, Malfoy'sAngel **(Lol, I guess Fred does sound kinda gay but let's just say that he's in touch with his feminine side! More D/Hr action in this chapter :p), **DodgerMcClure, TariElena, nightmistrie, spicecat38, Nora **(thanks for the enthusiasm, it did help me to update sooner!), **xOxOkIsSmYaSsXoXo, Chezza babe, roguish muse **(Yay! Glad to hear from you again! Thanks for the reviews and it's cool you liked the song too!), **lovefordraco, sApPhire rAiin **(I haven't told you guys yet what Abby saw in the Orb but its pretty important – glad you liked my Fred!), **Lynster89, and DeadRose21 **

**Mega thank you to Amy, my beta-reader and on with the story!**

**..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Draco lit a cigarette. He knew it was a disgusting Muggle habit, but he couldn't help it. Besides, there was a spell which blocked the disastrous effects of smoking and Draco happened to know it.

He sat up in his bed and scowled. A mop of bleached-blond hair was sprawled across the other pillow in his bed and he slowly remembered whom it belonged to. He had gone to the Dolohovs party the previous night and Davina Dolohov, their oldest daughter, had continuously flirted with him until he finally gave in. He had brought her back to the manor and now there was the slight problem of getting her out.

Crushing his cigarette butt in the ashtray on the bedside table, Draco got out of bed and hit the showers. Ten minutes later, he was dressed, sitting in the dining-room and eating his breakfast.

"Speck," he called out, downing the rest of his coffee and lighting yet another cigarette.

The tiny house-elf appeared almost immediately.

"Make sure Miss Dolohov finds her clothes and breakfast when she wakes up," he ordered, inhaling a long drag of nicotine. "I want her out within the hour but treat her with respect. She is a friend of the family."

The house-elf bowed, obediently.

"Master," he spoke up with hesitation. "A letter has just arrived for you."

He disapparated out of his view as Draco hastily opened the piece of parchment. It was from Blaise.

_An Orb was stolen from the manor. They know about the wolves._

Burning the parchment in the fireplace, Draco finished his breakfast thinking about the incident. The Order had struck once again. However, it surprised him that they stole nothing but a crystal ball. Fastening his family black cloak, Draco pocketed his wand and apparated to Malfoy Inc. headquarters.

**..~**~..**

Draco apparated in the reception hall as anti-apparation wards were placed everywhere else on the skyscraper. It was impossible to enter the building without being noticed by the security – well almost impossible.

As he reached his office, Miss Jones was already at her desk, waiting for him.

"Good morning, Lord Malfoy," she greeted cordially, handing him his mail. "Your 3 O'clock with Minister Scrimgeour has been rescheduled to Monday as you asked for. Oh, and Miss Granger has requested some files from your office."

Draco looked up from his mail. "I will see to it personally that she gets them. Send her in once I return from the Quidditch meeting."

"Of course."

He turned to enter his office and was surprised to find it completely dark. All the curtains were drawn from the inside. Walking inside the dimly-lit office, he turned and quickly closed the door behind him.

As his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, he noticed someone sitting in his high-back leather chair, feet upon his desk.

Abigail Serpent.

She was reading an old copy of the Daily Prophet, the one containing his interview with Rita Skeeter.

"You're such a lying bastard," her voice called out from behind the paper. "_She had certain financial problems which she needed help with_ – Ha! You wouldn't lend me your pen even if your life depended on it!"

Draco sighed heavily as he took off his cloak and threw it on the couch.

"Abigail," he greeted with a sigh, as she finally revealed her face. "Good to see you. How are things?"

"Oh same old, same old – places to go, missions to accomplish," she answered brightly, suddenly switching the lights on fron him desk before getting to her feet and sitting on the opposite couch.

She was wearing jeans and a white sweater underneath her open wizard robe. Her long jet-black hair with added red streaks fell elegantly across her shoulders. However, her face betrayed her fatigue - her skin was pale and her eyes seemed almost worn out.

"Talking about missions," he began, sitting himself down. "I heard you ran into a few surprises last night, three to be exact."

She didn't answer straight away as she rummaged through her shoulder bag, finding her packet of cigarettes. "Yes, well next time I teach you a new spell, I'd appreciate it if you didn't use it against me," she told him bluntly.

"Of course, but you know the drill, Abby. We can't always play nice when we're trying to kill one another," he retorted with a hint of malice.

She narrowed her dark eyes a moment before a smile reappeared on her face. "Oh no! We're not trying to kill you," she corrected him, lighting up her cigarette. "That would upset most of the female population you know! Including your new employee –"

His grey eyes suddenly flashed at her, warning her not to mention Granger.

"Tell me Draco, cause I'm dying to know," she continued anyway, in a sly tone. "How does it feel to see your loved one again?"

His eyes narrowed into silver slits. "I'm not sure. How did it feel when Potter dumped you for a rich superficial model?"

His nasty comment hit home as Abigail flinched at his words and lowered her gaze to the ground.

"I believe that you have your answer," he concluded. "Now tell me, what is so special about this crystal ball that you stole?"

She laughed at his words, stumping out her cigarette. "You think I'm going to answer that? Sorry, but I already tell you way too much, don't you think?"

She paused, his dark eyes piercing into his own. "Let's just say that it shows you things."

Draco rolled his eyes in response. "I did figure out that much by myself thank you, but what are these things?"

"Well you kind of need the Orb for that," she replied with a smile.

Signing deeply, Draco dropped his head into his hands and started massaging his temples with his fingers. She was so infuriating at times.

"Please remind me," he asked honestly, staring at the floor, "why are we friends again?"

"Because I need you and you need me," she stated simply, getting up from her seat and walking around his office. "And because I think that the day you become the next Dark Lord is the day I marry Blaise Zabini."

Lifting his head up again, Draco turned to face her and smirked. "Well then, I'm glad that day is soon to come."

Her smile faded as he spoke. "What are you talking about?"

"Your father sent me a letter not long ago about your little predicament. Blaise got the same and let's just say that he's still very keen about you."

"You mean he's obsessed!" she cried out.

"He's not the only one who's interested," Draco said gravely, as he got up and stepped closer to her.

She looked back at him, surprised. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," he stated, glad he had managed to scare her a little.

A long silence followed.

"Well, I have to go," Abigail suddenly announced, looking slightly freaked out and holding her bag tightly.

"So soon?"

"Yes Malfoy, some of us actually have to work to earn money," she said sarcastically, patting his shoulder. "It's a cruel world with live in you know, especially since you and your Death Eaters pals are around. I'll see you at the next meeting."

"Oh, I do hope I'll see you before at the Ministry party," he said with urge, sitting down at his desk. "I have a surprise for you."

"I'll be there," she answered intrigued. "See you then – oh and Malfoy - if you ever attempt to hurt Hermione, I'll slit your throat."

She paused, staring gravely into his silver eyes.

"Have a nice day!" she added before disapparating from his office.

Draco was left alone to think over their conversation and wonder why a crystal ball was so important to the Order.

**..~**~..**

* * *

After lunch, Draco apparated to England's Quidditch stadium for an important meeting. Malfoy Inc. had recently bought the English Quidditch team, which also made Draco president of the club. Being a Quidditch fan, he had acquired the team more out of interest than for money making and thus didn't mind the formal meetings he had to attend.

Today, the team was training for the first time again for the upcoming World Cup and Draco didn't want to miss it. After a quick meeting with the different trainers, sponsors and such, he headed out to the pitch to meet the players.

Among them was Harry Potter.

Although the famous Boy-Who-Lived or rather Boy-Who-Vanquished had left England three years ago, he was still as famous and talked of around the world because of his Quidditch exploits. After joining a southern Mexican Quidditch team, he had then signed on as Seeker to a bigger team in Australia, where he won the National Cup and became Best Player of the Year.

It was on one of his many trips abroad that Draco met Potter again. They were both staying at the same wizard hotel in Sydney and after fighting out their animosity the Muggle way in the street, they finally overcame their differences with black eyes and bleeding noses and had laughed about it all. After a few more unexpected encounters, Draco had even realised how much they were alike, although they would never trust one another. Now Potter was back in England for the World Cup along with his fellow team mate and Keeper, Dan Parker. Even though Draco hated to admit it, he hoped that they would bring his team to victory.

"Hello, Potter," Draco greeted, shaking hands with his once arch-nemesis. "Glad to see you back in England."

The messy black-haired boy had become a tall well-built man over the years and next to his golden tan, Draco looked transparent. He was all geared up for training and seemed surprised to see his new boss around.

"Draco Malfoy," he called out, carrying his broom over his shoulder. "I didn't think the new president would show up today."

"I wouldn't miss the first training, Potter," Draco explained, looking around the impressive large stadium. "I want to know what my team's worth."

He smiled cheerfully at his statement. "Well Parker and I are here now, so hopefully you won't be disappointed."

He mounted his broom as the training began above them. "I'll see you on Saturday, Malfoy."

"Give my regards to Linda," Draco added, before heading for the stands.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Draco sat in his office again, lost in his thoughts. He had nothing left to do except wait for Granger's visit and he feared it. They hadn't seen each other since the first meeting and although Draco did his best to pretend nothing had ever happened, it was obvious that Granger wouldn't let him. She was mad at him, she hated him and she had every reason to be.

He had deserted her for something she had fought against all her life, but he would show her in the end that it was worth it. The prophecy Abigail had revealed to him at Hogwarts was becoming true with every passing day. He was leader of the Death Eaters, who were becoming more and more numerous, and he was one of the most powerful men in Europe – and if things went well – he could dominate the world.

It was the only thing that mattered to him now. He had worked, lived and breathed the past three years only for this prophecy, which would one day bring him power and success. Therefore it had surprised him that even after all these years, meeting with Granger caused him pain. Her presence had shaken him to the very soul and it had taken all his willpower not to take her in his arms. Besides, her dark hazelnut eyes had been filled with anger – no, rage, but also an immense sorrow. She had seemed so hurt and destroyed by his attitude. But today, he had to remain strong. Granger was only here for a month, and after all, he couldn't let her presence make him lose control.

Draco suddenly jumped back to reality as his office door swung open and Blaise walked in.

"I'm fucked!" he cried out, storming over to Draco's desk.

"Father has just been arrested by the Ministry," he explained. "Aurors have been investigating all over the family grounds today and found enough proof about the werewolves to put him away. He'll be tried within the week!"

"Calm down," Draco told him, standing up on his feet. "What did the Aurors find?"

Blaise gave a desperate laugh before sitting down on the couch.

"Well to start with, they actually found one of the werewolves in the woods. It had been turned into stone! Not to mention the blood, the shack where they live – everything! At least enough to put Father away in Azkaban for the next ten years!"

"Don't worry, I'll get him out of there," Draco tried to reassure him, handing him a strong drink.

"That's not the worst," Blaise continued, taking out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "There were journalists at the manor within the hour! I've just stopped by the Daily Prophet and Nott showed me tomorrow's layout. My father will be on the front page! Our family name will be dragged in the mud after that!"

He threw the paper in disgust, and sure enough, a recent photograph of Zabini Sr. was shown underneath the large heading - '_Arrested!_'

Theodore Nott, fellow Slytherin and Death Eater worked at the Daily Prophet as one of the editors. Hopefully he would be able to delay the article. It was best the case remained unknown to the public.

"I'm not surprised," Draco growled, watching his friend down his second drink. "You should have told me straight away that the Order would go after this Orb. Let's just hope that our best defenders will be able to save your father from –

But then something in the newspaper's front page caught his eye. It was the picture at the bottom of the layout. It showed a couple wearing Muggle clothes and holding hands: Granger with the Weasel. However, it wasn't so much the picture that had caught his eye as the heading of the article.

'_Wedding Of the Year!_'

They were getting married. Granger was going to marry _him_!

"What's wrong?" Blaise asked, seeing the deep frown on his friend's face.

"Nothing," he answered quickly, looking back up again. "Listen you have to go back home and keep the journalists away. Wait for me there. I'll talk to Nott and then go to the Ministry to clear this out. I'll even talk to Scrimgeour if I have to."

Blaise quickly left the office and Draco was alone once more. He continued to stare at the newspaper and finally picked it up.

_Bloody hell! What is Granger thinking? She can't marry that ignorant penniless weasel!_

Realising what he was saying, Draco scrunched up the paper and poured himself at drink. There were more important matters to deal with. Lord Zabini's imprisonment could ruin the rest of the family and he would lose an important Death Eater and business partner. However, all these thoughts left his mind as he heard a knock on his office door and Granger appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Granger," he greeted in a tight voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm missing a few documents for the case," she replied firmly, stepping inside. "I need a few more employees' records."

Standing up, Draco picked up a key from his desk and then unlocked his large file cabinet in the corner of the room.

"Which names are you missing?" he asked her, trying not to inhale her perfume as she came closer.

"Maybe I can look for myself?" she asked, going over a list on her notepad.

"I don't think so," Draco replied bluntly, looking straight into her determined eyes.

They narrowed at his words. "You don't trust me."

"I don't trust anyone," he stated, deadly serious.

"Fine," and she gave him the names on the list.

Draco pulled out the relevant files and handed them to her.

"They cannot leave the building without my authorisation," he explained, locking the cabinet again.

"Well, can I have it?" Granger asked, flipping through the files.

"No, because as we've already covered; I don't trust you."

Granger glared at him, grasping the files tightly in her hand. He stared into her irritated brown eyes, holding her gaze. In response, she clenched her jaw, resolved not to look away.

"I need to get back to work," she finally informed him.

But Draco wouldn't have it. He wanted to ask her about the wedding, ask her why she was marrying such a fool but the words choked in his throat. Instead, he did what he did best. As she walked past him, he grasped her arm.

"You're in danger, you know," he said in a low voice. "You can't threaten Death Eaters and think that you can get away with it."

Her cold eyes stared back at him harshly. "What do you care?" she replied icily. "Haven't you already put a price on my head?"

She kept her eyes locked on his and Draco couldn't seem to look away. Those eyes – those beautiful eyes that had pleaded with him and cried over him that night in the forest – they had haunted his dreams for the past three years and now, they seemed so cold and dull.

"It's been three years and you're still not over it?" he heard himself say in a hollow voice.

Before he knew what was happeneing, she slapped him hard across the face. "I waited three long years to do that and trust me, you deserve much worse!"

Surprised, a smile slowly crept on Draco's face. "I guess that's what I get for choosing power over you," he drawled, bringing his hand to his cheek.

"You could have chosen both," she stated sharply.

"Yes well the prophecy was quite clear about that," he answered casually.

However, Hermione squinted her eyes at him in confusion. "What prophecy?"

Draco remained silent. So Abigail didn't tell her about it – interesting.

"It's nothing important, it's all in the past now," he told her keeping a blank face. "You should ask Abigail –"

"Don't you dare bring Abigail into this Malfoy! As you've already said, it's all in the past now," she exclaimed and turned around to leave.

He watched her go, amused. Hermione Granger hadn't changed at all; she was still the same Gryffindor girl, who held no fear in her eyes and never kept her mouth shut.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," he let out before he could stop himself.

She stopped dead in her tracks but didn't turn around.

"I've heard that you're with Weasley now," he continued, remembering the front page news.

She remained motionless, refusing to face him. Draco knew that she was probably crying and didn't want him to see it.

"Well, according to Witch Weekly, you've had quite your share of women," she bit back.

He stepped closer to her, gazing at her long curly hair. "Yes, but they never took my heart like you did."

At his words, Granger whipped around angrily. "What the hell are you saying, Malfoy? What is it that you want?" she cried out facing him. "Do you take some kind of sick pleasure in tormenting me?"

For the first time, he noticed the pain and sorrow in her large brown eyes. They were shining with tears and guilt suddenly overtook him.

"Never," Draco whispered softly. "I respect you too much for that."

Before he even realised it, his hand went for her cheek, wanting to wipe away the tears but Granger moved away. She looked at his hand in utter disbelief and disgust.

"Don't touch me," she said in a cold whisper, restraining her tears from falling.

As she turned to leave his office in a hurry, Draco remained silent. A flicker of hurt and regret crossed his steel grey eyes before he finally turned back to his desk.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**That final scene has been jotted down in my notepad since I finished D,S,L. Actually when I re-read now it doesn't seem as good but I guess you guys will tell me that! Oh and just to avoid confusion, Linda is the rich superficial model Draco was talking about.**

**Anyway lots more D/Hr action to come and of course it's time for the Ministry Party which will bring everyone together in the same room – eeek!**

**I won't spoil the next two chapters but they'll be big!**

**Please review! **


	5. Surprise

**Disclaimer: Remember, Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling! Everything you don't recognise comes from me.**

**Author's Notes: Hello and welcome back for the chapter 5! I hope you're all excited about Goblet of Fire now that the trailer is released. If you still haven't seen it, watch it now! **

**Anyway, I must say that you guys are brilliant! I never thought I'd get so many reviews! And to thank you all, I decided to do special shout outs again. So ask away people, tell me what you think, how you feel - I love to chat as well, hehe!**

**BrownEyedQT715: I'm extremely happy that you like my OC – you'll probably feel sorry for her then at the end of this chapter. I also love H/Dr confrontations and that's why there are many more to come!**

**TariElena: Thank you so much for your review, I believe it made me blush! Jealous Draco is the best after all, that's the way we like him! Hehe! However, will he break up the engagement in time?**

**Malfoy'sAngel: Yay! I love your reviews! The last scene was quite hard to write, I didn't know how far I should make it go… it did start out with a kiss but I decided to be evil and let you guys wait a little longer… a lot of sad tidbits coming up though!**

**Lynster89: Wow, I didn't even intend to make that scene a tearful one. I'm glad you liked it and as I said before, more sad scenes to come up between D/H! Thank you for your review!**

**Dracosgirl2515: Hehe! The ravishing will certainly happen, especially since this fic is R-rated, but which one will give in first?**

**Seghen: Hey, glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the faithful reviews!**

**Spicecat38: Well, I don't mind Hermione and Ron together; they'll certainly be a couple in the books, however not in my story! Lol! Drastic Changes will be updated soon!**

**Missez Malfoy: Thank you for reviewing! I'm also glad to be doing a sequel, I couldn't finish on a sad ending, its too depressing! Glad you liked the last scene!**

**May: Hey! I always love it when you review, so thank you! Of course, Draco doesn't like the idea of Hermione getting married but the question is, will he do something about it? As for Harry and Abigail, the answer is in this chapter!**

**Jtfanaddict: There was supposed to be a kiss, but at the last minute I scratched it out. They're not ready for it yet, I think. Enjoy this chapter, it's got Hermione's reaction to the last scene and more confrontations during the party!**

**Dracocrazyem: Hey, welcome back and a big thank you so much for the lengthy reviews! I loved them! About 'Lord Malfoy' this isn't a new name he gave himself, its simply a tile he and other Pureblood families have and that's been re-instored over the years. Hence, Zabini Sr. is also Lord Zabini, etc. It's kinda like in England where rich, wealthy family heads are called Lords if they belong to the parliament. Ok now I'm rambling, sorry, but hey - good memory! That DSL scene was done on purpose and will come up in the fic later! Oh and Ron's behaviour will be explained in this chapter, enjoy!**

**Taintless: I love your stories; they are very well written. I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic!**

**Running out of time, but also thanks to: lee, DodgerMcClure, nora, roguish muse, L.A.A, cenagirl, beautifulgrbage, mugglemom, xOxOkIsSmYaSsXoXo and crazyboy88 **

**And now chapter 5! By the way, there's a change to Harry's POV in the middle.**

**..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Hermione sat behind her desk in her office, in silence. Papers and files were strewn across the desk, waiting to be sorted out, but she did nothing. She was lost in her thoughts -

_Never, I respect you too much for that._

That line.

She kept replaying it over and over again in her mind as she stared out through the window, not bothering to wipe away the lone tear making its way down her cheek. And his eyes – his mysterious grey eyes, which had so suddenly shifted from a distant coldness to guilt. She couldn't think of anything else.

He had tried to touch her and she had frozen. Her heart had skipped a little, but then she had thought of Ron.

Poor Ron. If he knew - if he only knew, would he still love her so faithfully?

After leaving her office the previous night, she had gone straight to Abigail's flat, no longer standing the memories of a man she had once loved, nor the craving of his touch which had never faded. She had cried so helplessly over the encounter with Malfoy, that she felt ridiculous. There was so much on her mind, so much she had wanted to tell Abigail but she could do nothing but cry. Malfoy was playing games with her mind once again, she was sure of it, but it killed her inside just the same. Abigail was the only person who could understand her pain, her feeling of reject. Hermione's cousin had tried her best to comfort her, to soothe her pain and it had helped a little. In the end, Hermione had tried to think about Ron, to concentrate on the one she dearly loved now. The wedding was to be announced officially at the Ministry Party and Hermione should feel happy, according to Abby. She should be excited to be Ron's wife in a few weeks time.

Sighing deeply, Hermione looked firmly down at the documents before her.

She had a job to do and once it was done, she would be free of Malfoy. The aching in her heart would stop. Since she was in her office on a Saturday, not many people were around, which left Hermione free to do as she pleased and work at her own pace. Her task was to defend Malfoy in front of the Wizengamot against the multiple complaints accusing him of favouring Pureblood wizard and witches. However, she had been the one to collect those accusations and encouraged people to testify and now she had to find a way to undo everything. The only way seemed to convince the jury that Malfoy's Inc. current employees were more qualified for the job. However, it wouldn't be easy. Most Muggle-born wizard and witches who had been interviewed for the same job seemed just as qualified.

Therefore, Hermione had spent all morning nitpicking employees' records, looking at all their qualifications from previous job experiences to NEWTs results and comparing them to the Muggle-born attackers' records. She racked her brains to find proof for something that was a lie. Malfoy, of course, had employed these wizards and witches based on the purity of their blood not their qualifications and he wasn't the only 'Lord' to do it.

So, why was she doing this? She didn't know. Probably because Madam Bones had ordered her and because, after all, Hermione had never yet lost a case.

_God, I hate my job! I hate Malfoy and I wish he could rot in prison for this._

**..~**~..**

* * *

"Ron, where were you?" Hermione cried out as her fiancé flooed to her flat that same evening. They were expected at the party in less than an hour. "You should have been here ages ago! Hurry up and get dressed or we'll be late!"

Hermione, in a bathrobe and slippers, had just finished taking a shower and magically straightening out her hair. She didn't feel up to partying that night, but she had no choice.

"I'm sorry 'Mione," Ron spoke up, taking her in his arms. "The Auror Department was a mess this morning. Zabini's arrest is causing lots of problems and paperwork and Malfoy was there all night, claiming Merlin knows what to the Minister. He even managed to convince the Daily Prophet not to tell the public yet about the whole thing."

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked faintly, turning back to the mirror to brush her hair.

"Yeah, good thing he didn't cross my path," Ron mumbled, taking his robes off.

"Ron!" Hermione said sharply, eyeing his reflection in the mirror.

He was frowning deeply. "What? The bloody git deserves it! We Aurors all know who he really is and what he's up to after all and so you'd think he'd keep well away from us - but no! Apparently he waltzed in the office last night, claiming for justice. Ha! Lucky thing I had left by then."

His ears had gone red with anger and Hermione felt sorry for him. For three long years, the Auror Department had tried to find enough proof and witnesses to accuse Malfoy of leading the Death Eaters but they never even came close. Malfoy was too cunning for them.

"I saw _him_ in the papers today," Ron said tentatively as he took out his tuxedo from the wardrobe. "Everyone's been talking about his return at the Ministry."

Hermione closed her eyes in pain. "You mean Harry?"

"So you already know?" he asked, looking up into her strained chocolate eyes.

"Yes, he owled me recently about his return," Hermione answered truthfully, fearing Ron's reaction. "I wanted to tell you but – I didn't know how."

Ron narrowed his eyes as she spoke but then decided not to cause an argument.

"I understand," he finally spoke up, slipping on a white shirt. "Does Abigail know yet?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Merlin, this is fucked up," he said, giving a dry laugh. "If no one tells her before the party, tonight's going to be a real disaster!"

"Come on, Ron," Hermione said softly in return, a small smile on her lips as she helped him button up his shirt. "Everything will be alright. You should be happy today, after all, the whole wizarding world finally knows about the wedding now. We'll certainly be the centre of attention tonight, but that doesn't bother me, as long as I'm with you."

Her words sounded hollow to herself but Ron didn't seem to notice. She kissed him softly on the lips, hoping her eyes wouldn't betray her pain but as she pulled away, Ron put his arm around her waist and pressed her closer to him.

It felt good to feel his strong arms wrapped around her.

"Well, if you want me to be happy, I'm going to need more than that," he murmured in her ear, kissing her jaw line.

Hermione laughed softly, a real laugh, as he pushed them back towards the bed.

"Ron, stop, we don't have time for this! Ron – "

But she fell on the bed with him. His blue eyes flashed hungrily at her before he pressed his lips on hers and she happily gave in.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Half an hour later, they were getting dressed again and suddenly heard a loud crack from the living room.

"Hey! Hermione, are you in?" a voice suddenly called out. It was Abigail.

"I'm in the bedroom," Hermione shouted back, adding the final touches to her make-up and hair. "Ron and I are nearly finished, we'll be ready in a few minutes."

She looked up from her mirror as Abigail walked in and gasped.

"Oh my God! Abigail, you look gorgeous!" Hermione exclaimed as she got up and hugged her cousin. "Ron, get in here! Come and see Abby!"

Abigail's cheeks turned red at her words. "Oh Hermione, you look amazing yourself! Where did you find that dress?"

"Muggle shop in South London," Hermione answered, beaming.

Even she had to admit to herself that she looked good. She was wearing a long baby blue silk gown with matching colour high-heeled sandals. Her straightened dark honey-coloured hair flowed down her back and seemed to sparkle in the light. She had added a diamond necklace that her parents her given her for her twenty-first birthday and overall she looked glamorous.

Abigail, on the other hand, looked smashing. She had chosen a Chinese sleeveless black dress with red and gold embroidery. Although the dress had a collar, it had been cut across the chest to show cleavage and also had thigh-high splits on either side. Her hair had been twisted up into a messy bun and a few random strands fell out framing her face. At her feet, she wore black stiletto shoes with gold buckles.

"How's Ginny?" Hermione asked, having heard about the werewolf attack from Ron.

"She's recovered fine, she wasn't bitten or anything so she's safe," Abigail reassured her. "She'll be at the party, tonight."

"Oh, that's good."

Ron then came back from the kitchen, wearing his tuxedo and as he saw Abby, his mouth dropped open.

"Abby, what the hell is that?" he asked, pointing to her outfit. "You can't go wearing that!"

"As if you could stop me," Abby teased, kissing him on the cheek. "Besides, you have your fiancée to worry about."

Hermione laughed, as she added the final touch of perfume. "You know Abby, dressed like that, you're going to catch everyone's eye, including the press!"

"Good," Abigail said with a hint of sadness, sitting down on Hermione's bed. "That's what I was aiming for – dressing up like a slut, so then no one will realise that I don't have a date."

Ron laughed loudly whilst Hermione felt her gut clench. Abigail hadn't been able to hold up a real relationship since Harry had left her. Now she had become an adept of one-night stands, although not really by choice.

"So where's Fred," Abby said quickly, changing the subject. "Did he come by for the usual pep talk about what and what not to say to the press?"

"Yeah, he was here an hour ago," Hermione replied, keeping her eyes fixed on her cousin. "He chatted for ages about what I shouldn't reveal yet to the press about the wedding. It's all so complicated! He's already at the party I think."

"I'll go join him then," Abby told them suddenly, standing back up. "You guys don't seem ready yet and I don't like waiting around. Merlin, I hate these annual parties!"

"We know!" Ron exclaimed, as he adjusted his bow tie. However, Hermione noticed that his blue eyes seemed anxious about something. Abigail smoothed her dress out and disapparated from the bedroom with a loud pop. As she left, Ron's smile faded quickly.

"Merlin, she still doesn't know that _he_'s returned," he told Hermione, panic in his voice. "We should have told her."

"Stop worrying Ron! I'm sure everything will be fine," Hermione lied through her teeth, trying to reassure him. It was too late now anyway.

"You're right, she's a strong girl," he added, before checking himself one last time in the mirror and giving her a dazzling smile. "So, are we, Defeaters of You-Know-Who, ready to confront this new danger - the terrible wizarding press?"

"Well, they are a frightful bunch but I'm sure we'll survive," Hermione teased, linking arms with him.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Harry stood by the bar, stirring his dry martini in one hand. He had arrived early at the Hogsmeade's Celebration Hall for the party to salute his fans, waiting outside the building in the cold, near the apparation platform. Due to high security, all the guests had to apparate just outside the entrance on a platform, roped off from the public. Harry had apparated with his Quidditch friend, Dan Parker, who also played in Australia. They had been wildly acclaimed by the fans and after signing numerous autographs, Harry had gone straight to the bar for a drink. He didn't mind the fame and glory but Ministry parties and press conferences were tiresome and incredibly boring. Fortunately tonight, he wouldn't be by himself – the other Defeaters would soon show up.

Therefore whilst Harry stood against the bar, greeting old friends and officials, Dan was scrutinising the crowd in front of them, checking out the female population.

"Hey mate, what about her?" Dan asked, looking ahead at a giggling brown-haired girl, wearing a very short and vulgar dress. "She seems quite pretty."

Harry followed his line of sight and scowled. "Lavender Brown? Trust me, stay away."

As he spoke, she walked past them and Harry muttered a quick 'hi' as she saw him and winked at him provocatively.

"Damn, you're such a lucky bastard! With your fame, you could have any girl here," Dan exclaimed, ordering another drink. "It's time I find someone for myself and with my irresistible charm, it shouldn't be too hard!"

Harry simply laughed at his words. "I don't need anybody Parker, I have Linda."

"Don't give me that Potter, we all know her father arranged it all for the money. Greedy old man," Dan added, clapping his friend sympathetically on the back.

"I know, but she's a nice girl –"

"Wow, check out the hottie in the Chinese dress," Dan butted in, keeping his eyes fixed on the girl who had just arrived and caused numerous applause and shouting from the fans outside. "She's definitely going to get lucky tonight."

Harry looked up uninterested but suddenly, the whole room seemed to disappear around him as his eyes opened wide in recognition.

_Abigail!_

"So, what d'you think?" Dan asked, grining stupidly.

"Yeah, um – I'm surprised that you don't recognise her," Harry managed to say, his eyes locked on her.

_Jesus, what is she wearing? And since when does she have red streaks in her hair?_

"No, who is she?"

"Bloody hell Parker, don't you know anything about Voldemort's Defeat?" Harry mocked him, handing him his drink.

"Nope, sorry, don't really care about You-Know-Who except that he's dead. So, who's the girl?" he asked eagerly, raising his eyebrows.

Harry sighed, shaking his head; Parker was incurable. "That's Abigail Serpent."

"_The_ Abigail Serpent! Wow!" he exclaimed, looking back at her. "Wait, isn't she your ex - "

"Yeah – yeah she is," Harry cut in, not wanting to talk about it.

Dan winked at him. "So, are you going to introduce me or should I do it myself?"

Harry took one look at him and frowned. "Trust me, you're not her type."

"What? Are you kidding? I'm a Quidditch star!" Dan exclaimed, a devilish glint in his light brown eyes. "Or are you just jealous?"

"Shut up, Parker," Harry growled.

"Hey! No need to get touchy. Oh, looks like I've been beaten to it anyway," he added, seeing a tall white-blond haired man walking up to Abigail and kissing her hand.

"Holy shit, is that Lord Draco Malfoy?"

Harry looked up and rolled his eyes at Malfoy's gesture. "Yeah, that's him alright."

"Merlin, I can't believe that I'm in the same room as that rich son of a bitch!" Dan called out, his eyes fixed on Malfoy.

Harry, however, couldn't keep his eyes off of Abigail. She eventually disappeared in the mass of people followed by Malfoy. She hadn't noticed him yet and Harry feared the day when they would be face to face again. He then noticed Dan practically jumping around like an excited five-year old.

Harry grabbed his arm in frustration. "Would you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Wetting yourself each time you see someone famous," Harry explained, letting go of him. "You're on the England Quidditch team now and you're famous too, so get over it!"

Dan calmed down immediately although he was still grinning like a madman.

"Alright, alright, I promise I'll stop – Oh my God, look, there's Hermione Granger!"

At his words, Harry whipped around, his deep green eyes searching frantically for his long-time best friend.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Hermione apparated with Ron on the exterior platform and they were immediately assaulted by camera flashes and shouting from the dozens of wizards and witches who had waited around the platform to see them. Hermione was impressed and slightly scared. There hadn't been so many people at the previous parties, but considering her upcoming wedding with Ron and Harry's return, it was no surprise. She took Ron's hand in her own and squeezed it slightly for reassurance as they waved to the crowd. He turned to look at her and smiled before leading the way towards the Celebration Hall.

Once inside, the shouts died down and Hermione let out a deep breath.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron called out, looking amazed at the mass of people outside.

"Come on, Ron," Hermione said amused, dragging him into the ballroom. "People are waiting for us inside."

As they stepped through the double doors, Hermione gasped at the decoration. A giant banner had been put up, celebrating the third anniversary of Voldemort's defeat, hundreds of multicoloured balloons floated around the room and the whole ceiling had been decorated with fairy lights, giving the ballroom at surreal fantasy look. Each of the Defeaters portraits were hung up triumphantly on the far wall, where the orchestra played soft tunes as the guests chatted animatedly amongst themselves. Hermione looked around for familiar faces and found none. She decided to go venture around the crowded room by herself as Ministry officials had already swarmed around Ron, eager to hear the latest news concerning Lord Zabini.

As she headed towards one of the two bars in the room, her eyes fell upon familiar messy raven black hair. Her heart skipped a beat.

Harry!

Without a second thought, she rushed towards her best friend, which she hadn't seen for so long and threw her arms around him.

"Harry! Oh my God, it's been so long!" she cried out, crushing him tightly in her arms.

"Hermione!" he chuckled softly, wrapping his arm around her. "It's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!"

After greeting each other so warmly and staring at one other for the first time since nearly three whole years, Harry introduced Hermione to his friend, Dan, who then took off to let them catch up and the two Gryffindors chatted eagerly for the next ten minutes, catching up with each other's lives.

"Jesus, I couldn't believe my eyes this morning when the papers announced the wedding! Finally, it was about time," Harry said in a laughing voice.

"Oh, don't you start too," Hermione retorted, laughing with him.

"So, where's Ron? I still haven't seen him yet," he suddenly asked, looking up around him.

Hermione's face fell slightly at his words. "Harry, remember what I wrote in my letters," she reminded him, looking into his green eyes. "Ron took it pretty bad that you left England without warning. He took it as some kind of betrayal that you had left while we had to stay and continue to fight. Quidditch was his dream as well you know, but for him, accomplishing his dream while Death Eaters were still roaming around freely, was simply being selfish. He's quite mad at you – but in the end, I guess he envies you."

"Is that how you feel too?" Harry asked her with a hint of bitterness. "Do you also think what I did was selfish and some kind of - betrayal?"

Hermione shook her head, refusing to take sides. "No Harry, I understand your need to move on, to break away from the Order and finally enjoy life. Of course I was pretty angry at you at first when I found out that you had gone, but I don't hold it against you."

She put her hand on his cheek and smiled, tears gleaming in her chocolate eyes. "I'm so glad that you're back now. I missed you so much!"

Harry pulled her into a fierce hug once more. "Me too, Hermione. I'm back for good now."

"I'm glad to hear it and don't worry about Ron," she said giving a half smile as she pulled away. "You know how hot-headed he is and all. I'm sure you'll make up soon enough."

"Harry!" a loud voice boomed behind them and suddenly Remus, stepped out from the crowd and greeted him warmly.

Hermione stepped back, giving them some space and decided to order a drink. She watched fondly as Remus asked Harry all sorts of questions and complimented him on his Quidditch exploits. Looking out for Ron among the multitude of guests, Hermione's eyes suddenly fell upon a handsome, pointy-faced man with silver eyes and pale skin. Malfoy was making his way through the crowded room, followed by Abigail, who looked thoroughly annoyed to see him. Hermione held her breath in and watched in horror, as he quickly steered Abigail to the bar and pointed Harry out to her.

"Surprise," she heard him drawl in Abigail's ear.

His dark silver eyes then locked onto Hermione's bewildered ones and he smirked before stepping back into the crowd.

Abigail's whole body froze on the spot and the champagne glass she was holding onto suddenly slipped out of her hand and smashed to the ground. The sound was covered by the background music, and only a few noticed the smashed glass at all. Hermione watched on as her cousin slowly started losing her composure as a tear rolled down her face.

Hermione was stunned.

She hadn't seen Abigail cry a single time since she had left Hogwarts. Wiping her tears away quickly, although more threatened to fall, Abigail turned away but then her dark eyes noticed Hermione, sitting at the bar, next to Harry and Remus. The shattered look on her face rapidly changed into an angry one.

All of a sudden, Hermione closed her eyes in pain as Abigail's voice boomed inside her head.

_Fred, Ginny, Hermione! Bathroom now!_

The two Weasleys rapidly appeared from the far end of the room, looking confused and spotting Hermione, all three of them followed Abigail to the girls' bathroom without being noticed. Hermione wrung her hands fearfully as Ginny, guessing what had happened, bit her lower lip in anxiety.

"Abigail, that's the girls' bathroom!" Fred exclaimed, as she opened the door for him.

"I don't care," she replied icily, pushing him through. Once they had all filed in, she shut the door and put locking and silencing spells on it. Ashamed to face her, Hermione decided to check the cubicles to see if any were occupied. There were all empty.

"Harry Potter is here," Abigail finally spoke, red in the face and glaring at them dangerously.

"Is he?" Ginny asked innocently, playing with the fabric of her black dress.

Instantly, Abigail shut her up with a look, although Hermione saw the tears still gleaming in her eyes. Fred and Ginny seemed to notice them too and looked astonished.

"Harry Fucking Potter is here and you three didn't have the decency to tell me!" she shouted in a tight voice due to her sobbing.

"Seriously, Abby," Hermione retorted, finally sucking up the courage to speak. "Haven't you been reading the papers lately? It was written all over that Harry was back in England and attending tonight's party!"

"Are you serious? You think I still read them after all the crap that they published last week about Ginny and I?" she cried out, facing them again.

The Daily Prophet had recently found out about the girls' night job and had successfully trashed their reputation among the wizarding world. Ginny, in particular, had been severely criticised, as she was a young mother as well. Since then Abby refused to read the newspapers and they all knew it.

Hermione didn't know what to answer and instead watched as her cousin spilled the contents of her small velvet bag on the bathroom counter, looking for her cigarettes. Seeing Abigail's hands shaking uncontrollably, Ginny decided to comfort her. "We're sorry Abby, you're right, we should have told you that he was back, but you need to calm down –"

"Calm down? Calm down?" she repeated in disbelief, rage pouring out of her, as she held a cigarette in one hand and her lighter in the other. "I haven't seen him for three fucking years Ginny! And barely five minutes ago, he was standing a few metres away from me and none of you even warned me!"

"We wanted to tell you," Fred argued, stepping up. "But Mum said it was best that we didn't mention anything and –"

"Molly?"

"Yeah. We really thought that you'd find out before the party," Ginny continued eagerly. "I mean, someone was bound to tell you at the Ministry but –"

"I wasn't at the Ministry all day! But I was with you and Ron barely an hour ago, Hermione, and you didn't say anything!"

Hermione looked away ashamed, not knowing what to say.

"Damn, this is not good," Abigail continued, talking more to herself than to them as she stumped out her cigarette after barely lighting it. "This is not good! I don't need this right now, I have to deliver my speech in ten minutes and the press is going to eat me alive!"

Her voice seemed desperate now. Hermione had never seen her have a panic attack before. Ginny took Abigail's hands in her own and tried to soothe her.

"Abby, honey, calm down, it's going to be okay!"

However, Abigail's dark eyes flashed back at her furiously.

"NO! IT IS NOT OKAY! Harry Potter is here, damn it!" she shouted, tearing herself away and stuffing her belongings in her bag again. "Don't you understand? The cause for all my emotional distress is standing on the other side of that door, so don't fucking tell me that I'll be all right!"

Unlocking the door, she then stormed out of the bathroom, muttering that she needed a drink. Ginny and Fred stared back wide-eyed as Hermione held her head in her hands frowning.

"Crap! When she swears like that, it's never a good sign," Fred exclaimed, looking particularly worried.

"Thanks Fred, like we didn't already know!" Ginny hissed back at him.

Hermione sighed deeply. Abby had every right to be angry. Nobody had wanted to tell her about Harry's return because of the state she had been in during her last year at Hogwarts when he had left her. But now, keeping it secret from her seemed even worse. Unfortunately, there was also the way she had found out. Malfoy had once again proved to Hermione how heartless he could be.

"Come on you guys," she said, stepping out of the bathroom. "Let's go and avoid a disaster."

**..~**~..**

* * *

**I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter. It's an important one and I hope you didn't expect me to write more mushiness between Hermione and Ron because I don't think anyone really wants that! To find out if things really turn out to be a disaster, you'll have to wait for the next chapter, which will be DEDICATED to my 100th reviewer! Abby will finally come face-to-face with Harry and there's more Draco!**

**Review! Oh and I'm also on the look out for a new beta, so email me if you're interested!**


	6. Reactions

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world do not belong to me. Everything you don't recognise in from my own wild imagination.**

**Authors Note: Well it's been a horribly long time and trust me, although I thought about my fic everyday, I simply could not update it! I've been ridiculously busy but since I've been stuck in bed with fever, I spent most of it typing up this new very long chapter.**

**Of course, as promised, this chapter is dedicated to my 100th reviewer: Cenagirl**

**But also, thank you to my incredible reviewers, I read every single one of your reviews, hating myself for not updating but unfortunately it simply wasn't possible!**

**Taintless: I love your stories, unfortunately I haven't been reading any fics on this site since my previous update, but I will get round to it! Thank you for the encouraging reviews!**

**BrownEyedQT715: Draco/Hermione fluff coming right up, but the angst needs to come first. Enjoy!**

**Malfoy'sAngel: All I can say is that this chapter is certainly a long one. I owe you guys that after all! As for the first kiss, well it's gonna take some time (I still haven't thought of that scene yet..oops) but I know it'll be soon. More Harry in this chappie!**

**Seghen: Well I didn't update at 100, even thouh I wanted to but at least Abigail is back in all her explosive nature and you should definitely enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the review!**

**Sapphire rAiin: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy the angst, if you'd like to be my beta, you could start be emailing me a correct version of this chapter, I haven't read it thoroughly enough I'm sure!**

**May: Hello, sorry about the wait! By the way I'm attending the GoF premiere in London so if I have pics, I'll send them to you or your site! Enjoy this chapter!**

**Pippin1177: I didn't mean to make Fred gay but he does sound like it. As I previously said, let's just say he's effeminate! However, I am trying to show that he likes Abby and it should come through a bit better in this chapter. Oooh and the sexy devil Malofy is back too!**

**Dracocrazyem: Abigail is pretty strong but you learn a lot more about her past in this one. No more R/Hr mushiness in this fic, I promise, at least not too much hehe! Enjoy and thanks for the review!**

**Thank you also to: twinklerbell23, enchantedrain, warky, DodgerMcClure, nightmistrie, nora, JTfanaddict, dracosgirl2515, WarriorByNight, Juicy-Fruit for Drako, the keeper himself (sorry about George, but it was war and not everybody could make it), KitKatFairy, lovefordraco and alianne **

**Here's chapter 6!**

**..~**~..**

* * *

Abigail sat down at the bar on a high stool. She knew she should have left the party right away before things got worse, but she couldn't. It was custom that the Defeaters deliver a speech to the guests and then answer their questions. It was the whole point of the reunion; the wizarding community wanted to know what the Defeaters were doing since Voldemort was gone. They were heroes now and therefore, they couldn't disappoint the people.

But Abigail couldn't care less about celebrity as she sat, lost in her thoughts, drinking champagne.

Someone from her past had come back – someone, who she had fallen in love with back at Hogwarts, was standing on the other side of the ballroom and it terrified her. She hadn't expected Harry to ever come back. As far as she was concerned, he hadn't written or kept in touch with anyone since he had left and therefore, she had simply assumed that he would never cross her path again.

She had even forgotten about him or at least she had prevented herself from thinking about him. Her memories of him had slowly faded to the back of her mind for the past three years and she hadn't fought against it.

After all, a heart can be broken, be it will keep beating just the same – moving on – surviving.

Until tonight.

She hadn't realised how painful it'd be to see him again.

Abigail turned her head slightly, squinting from the corner of her smoky made-up eyes in his direction. He was standing by the podium, talking to the new Minister as he waited to deliver his speech. He seemed so different, so surreal, it could almost have been a dream. He had grown a few inches since she had last seen him. His shoulders were broader and his chest seemed more toned – he had the body of a true Quidditch player now. He had added gel to his hair and his tuxedo, against all expectations, seemed just as fashionable as Malfoys.

Stardom had obviously changed him in a negative way over the years. He seemed to have become shallow and self-absorbed. However, there was something else about him – something that made him different– made him look almost powerful. It was just a feeling, but it was similar to what Abigail had felt when she had first met Dumbledore.

Abigail shook her head - maybe the alcohol was confusing her mind.

"Aren't you at least going to say hello?" a voice spoke up from behind her.

Turning her head slightly, she noticed Malfoy sitting on the stool next to hers. He tilted his head in Harry's direction and Abigail looked back briefly at the Boy Who Lived as he stood on the podium next to the band.

He was the first to speak to the guests that night and although his speech echoed loudly across the ballroom, Abigail didn't listen to a single word.

Her eyes dropped back on the bubbly golden drink clutched in her right hand.

"No," she admitted quietly, before gulping down the rest of the expensive champagne. "I wouldn't know what to say next."

She could feel Malfoy's silver eyes fixed on her. "Well, you could always pretend that nothing ever happened. That method seemed to have worked for me with Granger - up to a point."

Abigail smiled eerily back at him. If she hadn't felt so dizzy, she would certainly have punched him. "You really are the most horrible and the most evil –"

"Tch, no need for such words," he butted in, ordering another round of drinks for them. "I'm sure some Firewhiskey will cheer you up."

"I have my speech right up after Ron, in case you don't remember," she told him firmly, frowning as the room started to mesh into a rainbow of colours around her.

"You know, I was only looking out for you Abby," Malfoy remarked loudly, applauding along with the rest of the guests as Harry's speech was over. "Imagine the disaster if you had seen Potter again whilst on the podium!"

"Whatever, Malfoy," she slurred, stirring her drink vigorously as Ron began talking in the background. "What do you care?"

He smirked at her words. "Well, you're the reason for being what I am today! If you hadn't told me about the prophecy –"

"The prophecy?" she laughed out loud, no longer able to control her mouth. "Ha! You're obsessed with that stupid prophecy when you don't even know the end of it!"

Malfoy's eyes darkened almost instantly.

"What?" he hissed, looking at her straight in the eyes.

He looked absolutely livid. Abigail had never seen him so angry - or was it fear? She felt the own colour in her face drain, realising what she had just admitted to him.

"Ah, Abby, there you are," a voice spoke up behind them. "I've been looking for you everywhere. What are you doing with _him_? Don't you know it's bad for your health to hang around rich kids?"

It was Fred. Only he could joke about Malfoy to his face. He dragged Abigail off the stool, before a murderous looking Malfoy could stop him and quickly lead her towards the podium, casting several sobering spells on her at the same time.

She instantly no longer felt tipsy or sick.

"Now remember what I told you about how to handle the press tonight and you'll do fine!" he coached her, giving her a thumbs up as her name was suddenly called out and she stepped up the podium hesitantly to face the crowd.

She took a deep breath and pushed any thoughts of Harry and Malfoy away.

Five minutes later, the guests applauded as she finished her speech. She hadn't said anything interesting really. As for every speech, she simply described the role that she had played in Voldemort's defeat and what she was doing with her life now. Of course, since she couldn't tell anyone about her role in the Order, her life, as usual, seemed pretty dull.

The following interrogation by the press was bearable. Of course, her night job with Ginny had been questioned but Fred had prepped her well and she didn't feel in anyway uncomfortable through the questioning. Only when Rita Skeeter's hand shot in the air, did Abigail sense trouble ahead.

"Miss Serpent, how did your entourage react to the newspaper article about your late night job?" she asked indifferently, looking down at her notes.

Abigail frowned - that question had already been asked.

"As I've already said, my close friends already knew about my job at the nightclub so they did not mind."

"And what about your family? Are you aware of their reaction to the news?" she continued pertinently, suddenly looking straight into Abigail's eyes.

"Um, well – er, no."

It irked her that such strange a question should be asked when they all knew she no longer was on speaking tems with her father. It irked her even more when she spotted Malfoy in the crowd with a downright sinful smirk on his face.

"Have you not heard of your father's comments on the matter? Are you not aware of the interview he gave last Thursday in which he called you - and pardon me for repeating the exact quote – 'a cheap slut'?"

Talk broke out at once among the crowd as Abigail stared back wide-eyed. She was lost for words and a real sense of shame suddenly overwhelmed her. She could feel her cheeks going red as hundreds of pairs of eyes looked back at her waiting for her reply.

Feeling panic slowly grow inside of her, Abigail remained paralysed when suddenly, Fred stepped up before her and spoke to the crowd.

He informed them that their time was up and Abigail quickly turned away no longer able to endure the feeling of disgrace and defeat. A few seconds later, Fred, Ginny and Ron were by her side, trying to reassure her that Skeeter was a horrible woman and no one took any notice of her father's words, but it was no good.

"Fred, please - please, just take me home," she begged him and so he did.

They flooed back to her flat and he helped her into bed, all the time affirming that she was a strong girl and that it didn't matter what Skeeter or her demented father said about her. He stayed with her until he was sure that she was sound asleep and then kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams, Abby," he whispered, stroking her hair lovingly. "You certainly deserve them."

And with that, he disapparated from her flat, forgetting to cast the security wards as he left.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Abigail woke up the next morning, feeling reposed and refreshed. She was glad it was the weekend, since she didn't have to go to work and confront her co-workers about the previous night. After a quick shower and getting dressed, she decided to make some tea and feed her dog.

As usual, she was invited at the Burrow for Sunday lunch and intended to go after watching her favourite show on TV.

However, as she walked into the kitchen and began pouring water into the kettle, she suddenly felt a presence behind her.

Her heart skipped at beat.

Quickly looking around her for a weapon, she grabbed a kitchen knife from the counter and spun around, brandishing the weapon at her attacker.

As her eyes recognised the dark wizard before her, she hardly managed to repress a gasp.

"Hello, Abigail," Blaise Zabini greeted her, his malicious blue eyes drinking in her reaction as he pulled his hood away.

He was dressed in an expensive dark suit, covered by an elegant velvet black cloak. His whole outfit seemed to command respect, obedience and fear by showing off his Pureblood and Death Eater status.

"How did you get in?"Abigail shot back, gripping the knife tightly as she fumbled around the kitchen counter behind her, searching for her wand.

B started to growl from his food bowl and sensing Blaise might hurt him out of sheer pleasure, Abigail slowly stepped protectively in front of him, keeping her eyes fixed on the black-haired wizard.

She tried her best to remain calm but Blaise Zabini was well known among the Order for his cruel murders and dangerous mind. He had killed many more Aurors and Order members than any other Death Eater, with the exception of Fenrir Greyback, and even more, he seemed to have kept his obsession for Abigail since Hogwarts. He had proved to the Order more than once how evil he could be, therefore seeing him in her kitchen, caused Abigail to tremble in fear. He was capable of anything and unlike her, he had his wand in hand.

"We also have contacts in the Muggle world, Abigail," he drawled, twirling his wand between his fingers. "It didn't take us long to discover where you lived and last night, you foolishly forgot to place the anti-apparition wards."

_Shit! Fred, I can't believe you forgot!  
_

She swallowed hard, trying not to panic, but her wand was nowhere to be seen.

"What do you want, Zabini?" she said, trying to put a brave face on.

He laughed with wicked amusement. "Oh Abby, how naïve of you! You didn't expect Draco to forget what you told him last night, did you? That prophecy is all that he cares about now!"

He looked into her eyes and his laughter died. His expression darkened abruptly. "He wants to hear the rest of it," he snarled, making her flinch and retreat backwards. "All of it."

"I'll only tell Malfoy," she replied stiffly, her heart beating faster.

"Well he's quite busy at the moment," Zabini told her, slowly raising his wand.

Abigail felt her hands begin to shake. "Malfoy only!" she insisted, swallowing hard as her eyes watched Zabini's wand intently.

His piercing blue eyes clawed back at her in anger for a while and then surprisingly, he gave in.

"Fine," he told her, lowering his wand again. Her magical knowledge was obviously too precious for Malfoy for him to hurt her. "He'll be expecting you at the meeting tonight. Don't be late or someone will have to pay the price."

With a final warning, Blaise disapparated out of view and Abigail let out a long breath and swore loudly. Malfoy expected to hear the end of the prophecy that night during their usual lesson, but she couldn't tell him about it. He wasn't ready to hear the end of it. Yet, if she refused to attend the meeting, then Death Eaters were bound to swarm her flat within seconds and bring her by force; they knew where she lived now, her flat was no longer a safe place.

And even worse – they might attack someone from the Order, somebody she cared for.

Abigail had only one option; she had to flee. Running to her bedroom, she grabbed a suitcase from under her bed and stuffed it with clothes. She grabbed everything she could and ten minutes later, she apparated her dog to the Burrow and then holding onto her suitcases, she flooed there herself. Stepping out of the chimney hurriedly, she walked into the kitchen, where Fred, Ginny and Bill and Ryan, in his high chair, but also Hermione, Remus and Fleur Delacour were already seated at the table, chatting animatedly among themselves.

As they caught sight of her, silence fell upon the kitchen, except for Ryan who repeatedly banged his spoon against his plate.

"They found me," she announced, still clinging to her suitcases. "Fred, you forgot the wards last night and –"

"Bloody hell!" Fred exclaimed, getting up from his seat, along with Ginny to help her with her stuff, whilst the others looked at her shocked.

"I don't understand, how did they find you?" Remus asked, sending her luggage up the stairs with his wand.

"I don't know," she admitted, sitting down beside Hermione. "I woke up and Blaise was there and –"

"Oh my God," Hermione let out, as Bill sent a Patronus to Dumbledore. "And you're still alive?"

Abigail felt her stomach turn. Of course she couldn't mention to them the prophecy or her lessons with Malfoy. She opened to her mouth, trying to find an excuse for Blaise's lenience but found none.

"Of course she is," Fred shot back, sitting back down again. "That bloody bastard is obsessed with her."

Ginny handed her a glass of water. "Thank Merlin, you're not hurt. It's okay, you can stay with me from now on."

"Actually I thought it might be best if I stayed at Hermione's for a while," Abby answered, turning to face her cousin. "You're in danger since you're working for Malfoy, it'd be better if you had someone with you in your apartment all the time. You don't mind, do you?"

Hermione smiled back at her. "That's fine, as long as your dog doesn't make a mess."

Abigail thanked her and then did her best to answer all their questions. She was so absorbed in the conversation, recalling what had occurred merely half an hour ago that she hardly noticed the garden door suddenly open wide.

Arthur Weasley appeared laughing heartily as he stepped inside followed by a tall dark-haired man...

Harry Potter.

Both of them stopped short as they noticed Abigail at the dinner table, who promptly jumped out of her seat.

"What the hell is he doing here?" she exclaimed in shock, effectively silencing everyone at the table once more.

"We invited him for lunch of course," Mrs. Weasley answered, not noticing the tense atmosphere in the room as she laid a steamy hot Sunday roast on the table.

However, everyone remained still in their seats. Abigail looked back at her in disbelief.

"What? What do you mean you invited him? Why?"

"Well we haven't seen him for three years dear," she continued, finally realising how upset Abigail was. "You didn't expect us not to invite him."

"What? But he left you!" she lashed out in confusion and anger, startling them all. "He left us all without warning! He hasn't been in contact with us for three long years and you _invite_ him? Shouldn't you all be mad at him?"

She turned around to face the others and suddenly realised that they were all avoiding her gaze.

"Don't be silly dear," Mrs. Weasley continued to explain, wiping her hands on her apron. "Harry has been a good boy over the years and kept in touch with the family."

Her words seemed to punch Abigail in the face.

Seeing the guilty looks on her friend's faces, Abigail could feel the blood pump in her ears as everything slowly fell into place. She stared back wide-eyed at all those seated at the kitchen table, too shocked to say anything.

_Merlin - they knew his whereabouts all along! They kept in touch with him all along! _

Remus and Hermione looked back at her guiltily, whilst Mrs Weasley looked up anxiously at her husband, who hadn't moved from the garden door. Bill and Fleur exchanged nervous glances as Ginny and Fred looked away in shame.

Abigail tried to say something – anything – but the words wouldn't come out. They choked in her throat as her dark eyes began to glisten with tears.

"I - I -," she began, but instead a familiar thump was heard in the living room and Ron shortly stepped into the kitchen.

"What's going on here?" he asked slowly, noticing the uncomfortable silence in the kitchen before spotting Harry, standing beside his father. "And what's _he_ doing here?"

Abigail covered her mouth with her hand trying to hold back her sobs as tears spilled down her cheeks. She couldn't believe it. All those months she had spent worrying about Harry back at Hogwarts – wondering endlessly if he was still alive! And then all that time she spent wondering if he still thought about her or even missed her. All those hours she had spent crying alone in her room or confiding her sorrows and regrets to Ginny and Hermione when they had known the answers to her questions all along!

_How could they have kept this from me? _

"Ron," she finally croaked, drawing a ragged breath. "They've – they've been in contact with him all along! They've all been in touch with him ALL ALONG!"

"What?"

"But surely you knew –" Mrs. Weasley began, but he cut her off.

"Mum – don't," he said coldly, his face turning as red as his hair as his eyes remained fixed on those sitting at the kitchen table. "I don't believe it. I don't fucking believe it!"

No longer able to stand there, looking at all their shameful faces, Abigail left the room and ran into the garden, furiously wiping her tears away. How could she have been such a fool? Why hadn't she realised before that Harry was bound to keep in touch with someone from England?

Why did it pain her like this to cry over him once more?

Her mind raced incoherently as she frantically tried to make sense of everything.

"Abigail, wait!" Harry's voice cried out behind her.

But she continued to walk away from him, from the source of all her pain and anger.

"Abigail! Stop, I can explain!" he shouted once more, catching up with her. His words struck a nerve and she furiously whipped around to face him.

"Explain?" she cried out, staring furiously into his worried emerald green eyes. "What the hell do you want to explain? Why you left me - is that it, Potter? Maybe three years ago I was ready to hear your goddamn explanation, but now? You want to explain things _now_! – _What the fuck are you even doing here?_"

Her words took him aback and he paused for a moment. "I never left for good. I always meant to come back. I didn't mean for it to happen this way –"

"Do you have the slightest idea how worried I was?" she cut in angrily. "For the first six months, I actually thought you were dead! _Dead!_ Do you know what that felt like? Do you? I was so scared - I did everything I could to find you but you were so far away, so bloody far away!"

"I needed time to think," he tried to defend himself.

"You left me, Harry!" she screamed back. "You left me when you promised you'd always be there for me, that you'd always stay with me!"

"Abby, it was something I had to do on my own –"

"But you never even said goodbye! Don't you get it? All I got was a letter from Hermione saying that you had left England. No one knew where you'd gone, you didn't try to contact anyone for six months! At least, that's what I thought at the time - how did you think I would react? Did you even think about me at all?"

He paused, obviously not knowing what to tell her.

"You disgust me," she hissed at him and pushed her way past him back inside the house.

"Molly, I'm sorry for all the trouble," she apologised quickly as she stepped into the kitchen, making her way to the living room. Her head was spinning and she didn't feel strong enough to confront _him_ any longer.

"I don't feel too well, I think I'll leave now."

"Of course, dear."

"Hermione, can I floo to your flat?" she asked trying to remain polite as she heard Harry step back inside too. She had other choice now than stay with her cousin no matter how angry she was at everyone.

Hermione nodded at her.

"Abigail, wait!" she heard Harry exclaim, stepping around the kitchen table.

She quickly grabbed a fistful of Floo powder with Beau beside her, who growled fiercely as Harry approached them.

"Gin, can you take care of B for a while?" she asked, ignoring Harry, who stopped at the sight of the huge dog.

Ginny quickly agreed and Abigail stepped into the chimney.

"Abby, don't leave, this isn't over," Harry told her firmly, trying to get past the large dog. "You can't keep walking away from me forever!"

Anger flashed across her eyes.

"Funny, isn't that what you've been doing for the past three years?" she replied scathingly and then flooed away, causing Harry to curse loudly.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Cursing felt good. Abigail had always had a way of infuriating Harry in the past and their brief encounter had been no different. Harry had to go after her; he had to explain. There was some irresistible pull inside of him which urged him to make Abigail understand why he had left her three years ago.

Of course he had thought about her – of course he had wanted to warn her of his departure, but he also knew that she would have done everything to make him stay in England, with her and inevitably – he would have been tempted.

Her large St Bernard dog instantly stopped growling as soon as she left and pounced back into the kitchen next to Ginny. A long silence followed and Harry was perfectly aware that every eye was on him.

Fred decided to speak first.

"Harry, my advice to you - leave her alone," he told him, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Then I don't want your advice, Fred!" Harry retorted irritably, facing them all once more.

"But you'd still better fucking take it!" Fred fumed, causing a general outburst within the Burrow. Molly and Lupin instantly scolded Fred for his bad language as Harry continued to argue with him and everyone else started shouting at the same time.

"_Stop it, all of you, this isn't helping!_" Hermione screamed, restoring silence. "It's no use fighting, we're all guilty in this. Abigail and Ron should have been warned in advance that Dumbledore, Molly, Remus and I were still in contact with Harry."

"Damn right, Hermione! You should told us from the start!" Ron argued, sitting furiously down beside Fred.

"It's not our fault, Harry asked us to keep it quiet and so we did," she argued back, trying not to raise her voice.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault," Harry admitted, sighing deeply. "I should have warned you all before. I just didn't want things to end up like this. I didn't think she'd react like this."

"Don't worry, Harry," Remus stated, gulping down the rest of his butterbeer. "Abigail simply needs time to sort things out in her head. She's been through some rough patches these past years but she'll come around."

Harry smiled at one of the only father figures he had left. Remus had been a great help over the years and a great source of advice. Harry regretted not to have seen him more often.

"No, she won't," Ginny muttered quietly, crying softly as she put her son back in his high chair.

Before anyone could retort, she left the kitchen climbing up the stairs. Although they all tried to stop him, Harry followed her. He wanted to know what she had meant – he was tired of everyone not letting him know what had happened to Abigail after he had left. He found Ginny sitting on her bed, in her old bedroom, holding her head in her hands, crying.

He walked in slowly and sat down beside her, listening to her sob and waiting for her to speak first.

"Remus has no idea what he's talking about. He doesn't know anything – he wasn't there!" she began, gripping tightly the duvet with her hands on either side of her.

"I doubt any of them told you what really happened after you left," she continued, still staring out in front of her.

Harry tried to defend himself but she cut him off. "You didn't see all the different phases she went through nor all the stupid things she did. You didn't see how everyday she pushed everyone away from her, locking herself out from reality. She needed answers, about you, about your sudden departure, about whether you were still alive or not - and at the time, I didn't know anything myself. You have no idea what you did to her when you left."

"What happened Ginny?" Harry dared to ask, looking at her intently. "What happened during your seventh year?"

She turned her head slowly, gazing at him sadly with her large doe eyes.

"I tried, Harry," she told him with a wavering voice. "I tried so hard to help her from her sorrow, from herself, but she was broken. She slowly began to change over time and at first, we all thought nothing of it. She started dying her hair, dressing really weird and all. We thought it was a normal phase to go through, especially after the way you'd simply disappeared overnight and all the crap the papers were publishing about her. But then, she insulted the teachers, she never did any work, she got into fights all the time and not only that, but she also started sleeping around. Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor – she didn't care and neither did the guys although everybody seemed to hate her. But then, when she was with me it was different; she would cry her eyes out, realise what she was doing and ask for my help."

Harry swallowed hard as he listened to Ginny's account. He had never known any of this - they had kept it all a secret.

"The truth was that she was lost," Ginny explained, staring down at her hands. "You had left her, her family had deserted her - she had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. I tried everything I could to help but it just got worse everyday, until - until one day, just after you'd reappeared in Mexico and also, strangely after Malfoy visited the school - I found her in the bathroom –"

But Ginny stopped. Her voice had become tight with emotion and she didn't seem to want to say anymore.

"Alcohol," she finally let out quietly. "She mixed alcohol with Muggle medicine - she obviously knew what she was doing. Of course, Pomfrey had no idea what to do, it was Muggle stuff so Snape took her to the nearest Muggle hospital and they 'pumped her stomach'. It was all kept a big secret for her reputation and Hogwarts' as well, only a few of us knew. I thought I'd definitely lost her but then, when she came back from the hospital, everything suddenly changed. Dumbledore had a long chat with her and she was herself again. She radically changed, became Hermione's clone, was top student and all. She studied day and night for her N.E.W.T.S and kept telling me how she wanted to work with magical creatures at the Ministry. That's what she's been doing ever since, along with the Order. She's been fine since that night, I haven't actually seen her cry until now – but one thing's for sure, she did everything she could to forget about you and never wished for you to come back."

Harry let out a long deep breath. "Yeah – so I figured."

**..~**~..**

* * *

**So what do you think? Yes obviously this chapter is centred around Abigail who isn't the most interesting character for some of you but it's all important for the plot! As for her past, it will all be explained in the next chapters (even her talk with Dumbledore). Otherwise next up is Draco, who's not very happy, Death Eaters, more Blaise and Hermione! I'm not gonna lie, this next chapter will probably take two weeks, maybe less if things go well…**

**On a different note, I've decided to go fanatic and wait hours and hours on end November 6th for the HP Goblet of Fire premiere in London. Anybody else going? Let me know, if I get good pics, I'll let you know.**

**Until next time, drop a review! xxx**


	7. Control

**Author's Notes: My long absence is unexcusable I know but the Christmas holidays will be here soon and I will be able to write much more then!**

**I have answered most of the reviews by private messages, as the site wants it.**

**For all those eager to hear about my time of the 'Goblet of Fire' premiere, scroll down!**

**This new chapter isn't extremely long but itsa necessary link to the much more angsty and emotion-filled following chapters, enjoy!**

**..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

Draco bolted fiercely into his study at Malfoy Manor, a copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in his hand. The dozens of dark figures already present fell silent instantly as he entered and bowed respectively, before quickly gathering around a large rectangular table, taking their seats.

Draco strode across the room, taking his place at the head of the table and then threw the wizard newspaper down on the table, which slid along the shiny surface until it reached the middle.

All eyes turned to the paper in fear, where a wizard photograph of Zabini Sr. stood out on the front page, above which a bold headline announced _'Lord Zabini Arrested, Illegal Possession of Werewolves!'_

"Would someone care to explain to me how this happened?" Draco said in a very flat and very cold voice, as he stood against the table, towering over his followers.

He cast an icy glance at the dark figures before him, waiting for his answer.

"The Aurors found enough proof to lock Father away for a lifetime, there wasn't even a trial, he –"

"Not you, Zabini!" he hissed, his narrowed eyes glittering angrily. "Someone else."

He sat down in his heavy leather armchair, waiting patiently for someone to speak up.

Finally, Rodolphus Lestrange decided to break the longing silence. He was tall, lanky man who had never liked Draco but had followed him nonetheless, devoured by the need to revenge his wife Bellatrix.

"My Lord, it all started when the Order got chased by the werewolves off the grounds and –"

"And why exactly was the Order at the Zabini estate in the first place?" Draco asked, with a sharp edge to his voice.

"Because of the Orb, my Lord," Lestrange continued in a low growl. "They went to steal it."

"Precisely," he said in a calm and cold voice, yet his mouth still smiled, causing the others to shift nervously in their seats. "The Orb. Now tell me, why would the Order risk the lives of their best agents to retrieve a crystal ball?"

His tone was harsh and full of malice as his eyes regarded Lestrange with contempt.

"It's no ordinary Orb, it is the Orb of Eris, falsely known as the Orb of Hope," Lestrange answered with urge.

"Eris, as in the goddess of discord and malice?"

"Yes, according to the books, the Orb gives hope to whoever looks inside, but it also contains a greater and darker secret which we haven't any information on yet."

Draco laughed bitterly, causing anguished glances and stunned expressions.

"Well, Zabini must certainly want his money back," he said in a mocking tone.

Lestrange looked startled and turned his head to the others, not knowing what to say.

"And now for my final question," Draco continued, his face remaining unreadable. "Why was I not told about this Orb?"

Hearing the disguised anger in his voice, they all paused, staring back at one another in fear.

"My father hadn't used the Orb yet, we weren't even sure it was the one of Eris or simply a hoax when his men stole it," Blaise replied bluntly. "There was no use in telling you until –"

"No use in telling me?" Draco repeated, deadly serious. "Am I right in guessing that you stole this Orb from the Order?"

"Yes, we did," he answered, slowly realising that it had been a mistake.

"Then your father deserves to be locked up in Azkaban for his foolishness," Draco shot back, staring furiously into his eyes, before his gaze flicked back to the remaining black-hooded figures.

"And if anyone else even thinks about keeping such matters away from me in the future, I will personally see to it that Dante and his clan take care of you. Vampires are quite desperate for human blood these days."

There was a general shiver across the room as Draco mentioned the cruelest vampire in England, who had once sworn allegiance to Voldemort, and who still killed in his name. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the study door and two more dark figures stepped into the study.

"Mulciber, Dolohov, nice of you to finally join us," Draco sneered, his fingers templed under his chin. "So, did you find her?"

The two Death Eaters froze on the spot, glancing away from Draco's piercing eyes.

"No, my Lord, we waited all night at the apartment but no one came. She seems to have fled. I doubt that she will ever return," Dolohov informed him.

"Then I suggest that you go back to the Hellfire Club and follow her from there on. Find out where she lives and do not come back until you do!"

"Yes, my Lord."

They bowed respectively and quickly disappeared behind the door again. No one could apparate or floo within Malfoy Manor except Draco, to avoid Auror suspicion.

"Zabini, stay here and gather as much information as you can concerning this Orb of Eris. I am sure the Malfoy library will have what you need. As for the others – find that Orb and find it quickly!"

They filed out quickly of his office, eager to get away from his wrath, all except for Blaise.

"Malfoy, what about the rebellions in the North?" he asked, not disguising his boredom. "The wizarding people have apparently become aggressive towards Nott castle and the old man keeps complaining to me every other day!"

Draco leaned back in his chair, remembering the urgent letters from Lord Nott, pleading him to deal with the angry mob threatening to overtake his lands. He was the biggest employer and landowner in the region and on Draco's orders, Mudbloods had been left without of job and evicted from their homes.

"I guess Dante will get his supply of human blood after all."

**..~**~..**

* * *

The next morning, Draco was on his way to his office. As he walked down the corridor to his office, he noticed the door was strangely wide open and his secretary, Miss Jones, was in the doorframe, waving her arms around.

As she heard him arrive, she spun around and let out a small gasp.

"I'm sorry sir, I wasn't able to stop him," she said frantically, wringing her hands together. "He demanded to see you and rudely barged into your office –"

"I'll handle it from here, Miss Jones," he said sternly, steering her back to her desk.

He turned, stepping into his office, curious to find out who had managed to get through the security wards. Standing by his desk, peering out of his window, was a tall dark-haired man, dressed in Muggle jeans and black jacket.

Harry Potter.

Annoyed, Draco shut his office door and walked up to his desk, where he retrieved a cigarette from his top drawer and lit it.

"Are you going to stand there all day staring at the sky Potter or is there a point to this unscheduled visit?" Draco asked rudely as he sat down in his high-back leather chair, behind his desk.

Potter walked slowly away from the window and came to face Draco, who blinked in surprise. There was a somewhat confident, nearly arrogant and also powerful air about Potter that Draco had never seen before. He still had the same black messy hair and bright green eyes and yet, he seemed quite different. The first time Draco had seen the Boy Who Vanquished again, since his sudden disappearance, he had already observed a slight change but now, it was impossible not to notice.

He no longer held a pitiful look in his eyes but instead they were continuously lit with an intense flame of hope and determination. Courage and dignity were etched in his face and since his boyish features had disappeared along with his glasses, his tanned skin and square jaw made him seem older than his age.

Potter's presence alone seemed to fill the office and his emerald green eyes seemed to burn with a such passion that, had Draco been anyone else than a Malfoy, he would certainly have felt fear.

_I wonder what made him change so much?_ Something had definitely occurred during the months he had been missing.

"Malfoy," he greeted him. "You and I need to talk."

"If this is about Quidditch or your wages or even next week's match, then it can wait –"

"It's about Abigail."

Draco stopped short and glanced back at his former nemesis, leaning back in his chair. "What about her?"

Potter's emerald gaze fixed him in return, his face remaining blank, an obvious improvement since his years at Hogwarts, Draco noted, when it could be read like a book. "I know she's in your debt Malfoy and I know that unless she has repaid that debt, her powers will leave her. She's managed to fool the others, but I know too well how the Serpent code works. So, I want you to tell me – what is she doing for you? How is she repaying you?" He paused, taking a deep breath. "Is she helping the Death Eaters?"

Draco glanced up at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered calmly.

His eyes lit up at his words. "Oh no, Malfoy, I think you do."

"What do you care about her anyway?" Draco asked him with a hint of malice in his voice. "Don't you think it's a little late to rescue her?"

"Then you admit that she's in danger?" Potter said, taking a step forward.

"In danger? Why, of course! She's a Defeater of Voldemort, is she not? I'm sure the Death Eaters still out there would do anything to get a piece of her," he hissed, emphasising his last words.

Potter's jaw clenched tightly, as though he were trying to keep his emotions under control. "I'm not kidding Malfoy, I'm not the same as I used to be – I've changed since Hogwarts – if you touch her, you will have to deal with me," he said in a soft and dangerous voice.

Draco's eyes opened wide in surprise. _Now this is interesting, Harry Potter is actually threatening me!_

But then he smirked. "I fail to see your point," he retorted, flicking invisible dust off the sleeve of his impeccable black suit. "There has never been any proof of Abigail ever being in danger, especially from me. Her father is actually quite keen on me and hopes one day the Malfoy and Serpent families will merge."

This caused Potter's eyes to fly open. He looked horrified and Draco couldn't help but grin wolfishly. He always knew where to strike best.

"However, you, on the other hand, seem to have caused her quite a bit of trouble," he continued maliciously, his eyes cold as winter. "If Abigail was ever in danger of being hurt, I believe it is because of you, Potter. No one else has ever hurt her quite like you have – no one else has _abandoned_ her quite like you have."

For a moment, Draco thought Potter might actually hit him as his narrowed green eyes glittered in anger and his shoulders shook in rage.

"_Don't even go there_," he spoke slowly, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Then you'd better leave my office at once," Draco retorted.

"And you'd better warn your Death Eaters to leave her alone."

And before Draco could answer him, he was already out through the door.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Draco spent the rest of the morning trying to focus on his work, but instead Potter's words kept resonating in his mind.

_I've changed since Hogwarts – if you touch her, you will have to deal with me._

Harry sodding Potter! Who the hell did he think he was talking to him like that? It was barely a week since Potter was back and already he was threatening him, acting again like The Boy Who Vanquished or the sodding Protector of the Wizarding World! Well it was too late! Harry Potter had left and instead Draco had taken over, he had built himself an empire over the years, kept a firm control over the wizarding world to gain power and wealth and whether Potter was back or not wouldn't matter, nothing was going to change!

The morning's paper already proved it, Draco thought in amusement as he flicked through the Daily Prophet, announcing a terrible bloodshed in the North, possibly linked to vampire attacks. However, the massacre was quickly brought to a halt as Aurors and helpers apparated on site and the attackers ran away.

Draco narrowed his eyes as he read the article.

_Aurors and helpers?_

Obviously, it was the Order. They had probably warned the Ministry and helped to defeat Dante. And now, if Potter joined them again, they would pose an even greater threat to the Death Eaters. On the other hand, since Abigail had chosen to hide, she had also chosen sides - the light side, which meant that she would slowly start to lose her powers unless she returned to him. The Order would eventually lose their most powerful agent. This was good news for Draco and he didn't even mind Abigail's decision so much now; he knew other ways to access the Serpent knowledge and with a bit of luck, his alternate source might also have information on the prophecy.

Checking his watch, Draco decided to visit his source, but first the Minister expected him for lunch at Diagon Alley. Grabbing his cloak, he decided to leave early and as he stepped out of his office, he told his secretary so.

"Miss Granger came earlier by to request some files from your office, sir," she informed him from behind her desk. "I told her to come back later this afternoon."

"No need, Miss Jones," Draco said, attaching the silver clasp of his cloak around his neck. "I doubt I will be back after my meeting with the Minister. I will give her the key myself, please make sure she hands it back to you when she is done."

"Yes, sir."

Draco left down the corridor, stepping inside the large elevator, where he descended a couple of floors. As he stepped out, he heard a lot more noise coming out of the different offices where the different head of Malfoy Inc. departments held meetings, shouted at other employees as they talked by means of the fireplace or were simply busy muttering to themselves as they worked. The few employees Draco walked past looked stunned to see their boss, as he rarely ever visited any other floor apart from his own office.

Draco, however, was curious to see Granger again and watch how she was getting along. He hadn't seen her since the Ministry Party and hoped she was making progress on the case. After all, if she couldn't keep him out of the Azkaban, than no one else could. He kept on walking, lost in his thoughts as his mind traced back to the Ministry Party. The image of Granger in that blue gown had plagued his mind ever since. The way her straightened hair cascaded down her back, glistening in the fairy lights or how her gown fell gracefully to the floor, hugging the curves of her body, as if it were made especially for her.

Draco snapped back to reality as he spotted her office at the far end of the corridor and noticed the door left wide open. He stopped at the doorway and peered in, ready to knock at the same time, however, when his eyes caught sight of her, he froze midway.

She was sitting with her back to him, clutching the morning's paper desperately in her hand as she read the front page article about the vampire attack. Her head was bowed and her tense shoulders jerked uncontrollably.

And then Draco realised that she was crying. The newspaper showed tiny wet circles where her tears had fallen and he could hear her muffled sobs as she covered her face with her left hand.

He watched her confused, not knowing what to do. He couldn't break his gaze away from her as she cried helplessly and suddenly, memories from his past resurfaced as he let his mind run free. The last time he had seen her cry like that – the last time he had seen her cry at all – so many years ago –

But he shook his head, tearing himself away from images, which he had barred from his mind, refused to remember. Finally, taking a deep stabling breath, he cleared his throat, causing her to tense even more and whip her head around.

"I've come to give you my office key," he told her flatly, his silver eyes flicking up to her own beautiful sad eyes. "Feel free to check those records, however, don't try taking any out of the office – the security wards won't let you."

As he spoke, his hazel eyes narrowed at him and she cast him an icy look. "You're leaving quite early, don't you think? Off to celebrate victory with your blood-thirsty friends?" Her tone was cold and full of loathing. Although he kept a blank face, Draco couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest.

He didn't like the effect she had on him.

"I would, unfortunately, vampires don't do well in the sunlight," he said in a calm whisper.

Her eyes flew open as he admitted his crime and then she looked down at the newspaper still clasped in her hands. "I always thought you had some shred of humanity left in you, Malfoy," she said in a quiet voice. "Some good hidden in your pathetic and miserable soul – guess I was wrong."

Her gaze flew up to him and she regarded him once more; a mix of anger, sadness and disappointment flashed in her shiny eyes. It unnerved him how she managed to make him feel so guilty, so ashamed of his acts - of his life. If he hadn't known better, the mortified feeling inside of him would have shown up on his face.

"Never wanted to be a saint, Granger," he replied bluntly, tossing her the key, which she caught with difficulty. "Don't fool yourself, we both knew the outcome of it all. I'll see you soon."

He left before she could answer - before his controlled emotions managed to break free. Around Granger, he didn't feel safe, his past had made sure of that and so, as he left, he decided to see her as little as possible before the unavoidable trial.

**..~**~..**

* * *

After the long and tiresome lunch with Minister Scrimgeour, Draco called for his car and was driven outside of London, southwards, to a small and charming Muggle town where stood on the far hill, a large manor, surrounded by acres of fields and woodland.

The golden entrance gates to the estate opened up as the black limo approached and a few minutes later, Malfoy stepped out of the car, contemplating perhaps one of the only mansions in England more ancient than Malfoy Manor.

Serpent Manor.

Draco had barely stepped up to the large front doors that they opened before him and a tall wizard, clothed in dark green silk robes appeared.

"Lord Malfoy, such a pleasure to see you again," he greeted Draco, shaking his pale hand vigorously.

"I'm sorry about the unexpected visit, but I find myself in need of your assistance once more," Draco announced, stepping inside the manor.

"Of course, of course, anything you request," his host added, closing the front door behind him.

It was quite late by the time Draco returned to the headquarters. He had left important documents behind in his office and decided to retrieve them before he finally went back home. He knew his mother as well as her guests Lord and Lady Parkinson (hopefully without Pansy) were waiting for his return to start dinner, but the documents were much more important to him.

He stepped quickly into the lift, cursing impatiently under his breath, as the elevator seemed to take forever to reach the top floor. Stepping out, he marched down the corridor to his office, hoping his secretary would still be around with the key, but she was nowhere to be seen.

However, his office door was unlocked and ajar and a faint light with glittering inside.

Pulling out his wand, Draco swung the door open and stepped inside his office, immediately spotting a small figure standing beside a tall wooden chest, next to the fireplace – Hermione.

"What are you still doing here?" he burst out, immediately regretting to have given her the key.

She turned around, startled, and her large brown eyes, glistening with tears widened in shock as her tear-streaked face looked horrified to see him there.

However, she remained silent.

Draco glared angrily as he walked briskly towards her but suddenly, his whole body froze as a glimpse of silver from within the open chest caught his eye.

Granger had opened the wooden chest and inside was hidden Draco's pensieve.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Hehe, classic cliffhanger... sorry, couldn't help it! So, what does the pensieve contain? What did Hermione see? Well all that will be revealed in the next chapter as well as wedding preparations, alcohol and a heart to heart talk between cousins...**

**Thank you for leaving a review!**

**Right, now onto the Harry Potter premiere! (If anyone wants pics, email or tell me in the review, they're not all fab but my friends will have theirs soon!)**

**Okay, so basically, I went with a couple of my friends to see the London and World Premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Nov 6. We got there around 10am, thinking no one would be around yet and we'd get perfect spots in front of the barriers but - boy were we wrong! There were already masses of people hanging around every barrier, all die-hard HP fans to be honest! But we did not despair and finally found a perfect spot right next to the cinema, opposite the press stand, practically second in line. After interminable hours (mostly under the rain, never again!) the press started to arrive, then a lot of guests, nobody famous yet and then, we heard a lady speak say in the microphone that the trio had arrived. Uproar among the fans, everyone was straining their necks around to catch a glimpse but as we were at the end of the red carpet it took some time before we saw anyone famous. Anyway in the end, Jamie Waylett(Crabbe or Goyle?), Devon Murray (Seamus), the actors for Argus Filch, Neville, the Patil Twins, Krum, Cedric arrived one by exciting! Lots of scremaing, shouting and pushing in the crowd! By the way, the guy who plays Krum is hot! I also saw Rupert Grint and Emma Watson which was kinda surreal. Rupert seemed so nice and sweet, he looked so nervous! I sawthem all up close which was great - oh andthe Phelps twins too (really good-looking too!) Alan Rickman wasn't present (damn!) but Dame Maggie Smith was there as well as Miranda Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, Mike Newell (director) and FINALLY - Dan Radcliffe arrived followed by TOM FELTON! I went nuts! However, my camera battery died on me and then I really went crazy. Lol! I literally swore out loud, hitting my camera in my hands hoping it'd work (it didn't) and although I saw them both quite close, the two pics I finally managed to get are quite bad. Tom Felton in ablack suit was freaking hot! Hehe! **

**Well that's all, I'm never doing that again! (I was soaked to the bone in the rain andnearly caught my death) but it was worth doing it once. I saw the movie, it was great but there was a serious lack of Draco! Let me know what you thought!**


	8. Memories

**Author's Notes:** **Merry Christmas everybody! I have an extra long chapter for you guys with lots of D/Hr moments and more!**

**Thank you to all my fabulous reviewers, without you guys I couldn't be able to write this. This chapter is dedicated to Lady Prongs who is the 150th reviewer! (I'll gladly send you the premiere pics but I don't have your email address!)**

**On with the story…**

******..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

Hermione turned the water tap and splashed cold water on her face. She silently scolded herself for letting Malfoy see her cry and stared up at her reflection in the mirror once more. The red blotchy patches on her face were gradually disappearing and her eyes no longer looked so swollen and red.

Vampires – they had resorted to vampires. Werewolves and now vampires, what next? The Death Eaters had committed many crimes over the past years, always to ensure power and wealth to Pureblood families but they had never allied themselves with dark creatures before, at least not since Voldemort.

Hermione finally dried her face and hands with a towel, sighing deeply. God, she was tired. Ron had been called by the Order in emergency the previous night because of the attack and she had stayed up all night in his bed, anxious to know what had happened and angry for not being told anything. However, she had no one to blame but herself. She had chosen not to be part of the Order and therefore neither Ron, Abigail or any of the others could confide in her. What she knew, she learnt from the Ministry or sometimes through Mrs Weasley and that was it. She knew Ron was one of the leaders but she never knew about the missions until the details had reached the papers, if they ever did.

Such as today. The vampire attack had been all over the wizarding news and even the Muggles had talked about the mysterious bloodbath in Northern England. And _he_, Malfoy, her boss, had ordered it.

Her stomach tied into a knot and she hastily pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Leaving the girl's bathroom, she hurried through the corridors, eager to make it back to her quiet office where stacks of parchment awaited her.

She thought of the amount of work she still had to accomplish before leaving and groaned. Her dinner with Ron would have to wait.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Hours later, after sending a quick owl to her boyfriend to cancel her date with him and apologise, Hermione laid her head on top of her desk in front of her. Although she had always loved a challenge and never complained about her work before, her head was spinning and her concentration simply seemed to have vanished.

She turned her head, fiddling with a piece of parchment between her fingers when her eyes suddenly caught sight of a large silver key.

_Malfoy's office!_

"Bugger," she muttered, sitting upright whilst grasping the key in one hand. She'd completely forgotten she was supposed to get the files about Malfoy's previous court cases to compare notes.

Deciding it was best to go before she left for home, Hermione grabbed her belongings and locked up her office. The corridor was eerily quiet and she realised that it was actually quite late and her co-workers had already left.

She walked hurriedly to the elevator, which arrived promptly and took her up to the last floor. Malfoy's secretary, Hestia Jones, which Hermione knew was a spy for the Order, since she had met her several times at Grimmauld Place, had also left.

The corridor was desert and completely silent. Hermione hastily opened the office door and using her wand, she made sure all the anti-burglar curses and hexes were lifted before entering. It felt odd to stand in Malfoy's dark office by herself, especially since both times she had been weren't very good memories for her. She calmly dropped her cloak and shoulder bag on the sofa and with her wand, she lit up a couple of red candles standing on the low coffee table.

Finally, she looked around her. She had to admit, Malfoy's office wasn't as cold and bare as she would have thought but instead it was richly decorated with fine materials, which gave a certain warmth to the room. The fireplace, for example, had a wide marble mantelpiece, totally engraved with neoclassical scenes. The wizard ornaments and objects, which stood on top of it included several awards Malfoy Inc. had received by the Ministry.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts, she headed for the filing cabinets and looked through multitudes of papers until she found the right files. Unfortunately, she had no other choice than to look at them tonight or leave them in her office, since Malfoy had explicitly told her that they couldn't leave the building. The git! He was purposely making things difficult for her and she was certain that it was linked to the conversation they had had before the ball.

Pulling the correct files out, Hermione headed straight back to the sofa, ready to collect her belongings. She quickly looked past the fireplace and her hazel eyes fell upon the large bookcase next to it.

Hermione simply couldn't resist.

Dumping the files on the sofa too, she walked past it and approached the shelves, skimming over the multitude of books in store. Among the first row, she quickly spotted an old battered copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ and smiled to herself. As her hand moved to take it, her eyes flicked up to the next row of books and then widened.

_David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Pride and Prejudice, The Little Prince, Notre Dame de Paris_ and so on. They were all Muggle books! She then recognised several of Shakespeare's plays and she couldn't resist pulling out a certain play she loved above all – _A Winter's Tale._

However, as the leather bound book left its place, she heard a distinct click beside her and then felt something brush against her leg. Startled, Hermione hurriedly put the book back in place and cast an anxious glance downwards. There, stood a tall wooden chest, which Hermione had mistaken for part of the bookcase. It was divided in several small cabinets, all locked by key, except the bottom one, which she noticed, had unexpectedly opened up. She peered down at it in surprise.

_Oh - the book must have triggered some kind of mechanism, which caused it to open._

She opened the small door intrigued by the silver light inside and inhaled sharply as her eyes caught sight of a small stone basin carved with runes and symbols around the edge.

A Pensieve!

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. She had never seen one before since they were extremely expensive but she had read all about them. Harry had told her about Dumbledore's and she even suspected Madam Bones to hide one somewhere in her office but she had never found it and now, here she was, staring at the bright silvery contents swirling around the basin, symbolising someone's memories.

And then it hit her like a rock. Sweet Merlin, these were Malfoy's memories floating in the basin! She had discovered where he kept his most intimate thoughts and memories. Feeling strangely reassured as she watched the silvery white contents twirl in the basin, Hermione dared to touch the silvery stuff within; her fingers casting ripples against the surface of the strange contents. Suddenly, the whitish cloud-like threads twirled faster around her hand and the whole substance turned transparent.

Unable to withdraw her hand, Hermione stared more closely at the image of a dark room with several chairs and tables forming in the basin. Before she could recognise the room, her hand jerked forward and her whole body was pushed inside the Pensieve. Screaming, Hermione seemed to fall through the air, surrounded by total darkness before her feet suddenly hit the ground and she found herself in the exact room she had seen. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest as she took in her surroundings but it was still quite dark. She noticed the empty chairs and tables in a corner and as she turned around to see the rest, her heart leapt to her throat.

There, before her, standing with his back to her, was Draco Malfoy.

Hermione stifled a scream and then remembered what Harry had told her about Dumbledore's memories. He couldn't be seen in them. She breathed out and her eyes finally caught sight of another person in the room, sitting in front of him. She stepped closer and her eyes flew open as she noticed a girl with bushy brown hair and dressed in Gryffindor robes.

It was herself – only she looked much younger!

She turned to Draco again and noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual black robes but instead, he was dressed in his Slytherin school uniform. Also, his face, for some reason, was contorted with rage as he looked down at the girl before him. Of course, this was a memory, she was back in the past and as her eyes gradually became accustomed to the darkness, the room became strangely familiar to her.

"I thought I'd made myself quite clear that I had nothing left to say to you," Draco suddenly hissed, taking the girl's face in his hand as if examining it. Hermione froze as the memory flooded back into her mind. Of course, this was at the beginning of her seventh year, where it really all began -

"I needed to see you," she heard her younger self answer.

- she was back in The Hog's Head, in the backroom the Slytherin used so often. Hermione stood rooted to the ground, utterly fascinated and yet terrified by the scene that unravelled before her. She was reliving one of the earlier moments she had had with Malfoy and she had no idea how she felt about it. All she knew is that her eyes wouldn't stop staring at the two students before her.

Malfoy's voice suddenly rang in her ears. "Of course I chose to be initiated! Of course I chose to follow Voldemort! What else was I to do? Drop my dignity and follow you and your precious Potter? Bow to your beloved Dumbledore? Tell me Granger, what exactly did you expect me to do?"

Hermione wanted him to stop. She could see her other self crying helplessly and it creeped her out. She stepped closer to Malfoy and tried to grab his arm but her hand went straight through his body. Not only was Hermione invisible but apparently she was incorporal.

_Great! Not only do I have to watch Malfoy make me cry again; I can't do a sodding thing about it!_

However, her younger self seemed to know exactly how to fight back.

"So that's it! You've become one of them? A Death Eater?" she spat out. "And I thought you only took orders from Purebloods!"

As Hermione smiled, seeing Malfoys' horrified face, the room began to swirl again, blurring everything around her and making her head spin lightly but then it stopped. She was no longer in the dark room but standing next to an ice sculpture in a very crowded room. Looking around, she suddenly realised that she was in the Great Hall back at Hogwarts, in the middle of the Christmas Ball. The whole room had been decorated for the occasion in silver and white, as if it were an ice cave and beside Hermione stood one of the long tables were all the food and drinks were kept. She vaguely remembered having to take care of the preparations as Head Girl and smiled at the fond memory.

Her eyes darted about the room and she noticed Malfoy dancing elegantly in front of her with her younger self. A large spotlight shone above them and Hermione suddenly realised how important this night had been – this was the night she had lost her virginity to Draco Malfoy. Her gaze went immediately to the couple dancing graciously, surrounded by the large crowd of students. A black tuxedo against a creamy white dress – how blissful it all looked. Hermione noticed Malfoy start to whisper in his partner's ear and instantly she was pulled forward, next to him, by an invisible force in order to hear his words.

"Looking good, Granger," he drawled and Hermione felt her knees grow weak against her will. She tried to move away but her eyes were locked on Malfoy's silver sparkling ones and his thin soft lips barely moving as he waltzed around the dance floor.

She watched the whole scene and a deep feeling of sadness crept into her heart. They danced before stopping abruptly and then found themselves in the gardens in a heated argument, everything just like Hermione remembered. It was the most bizarre experience she had ever had and possibly the most disturbing one too. She had no choice either. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to follow Malfoy around and watch as he tried over and over again to reject his feelings for the Gryffindor girl and stamp her heart out.

After a while, Hermione found herself in the Head's common room and witnessed with a pang in her chest, as her younger self walked in drunk, ready to take it out on Malfoy again.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Draco Malfoy, sulking in front of the fire. How very touching!"

Hermione knew perfectly well how the night had ended and she hoped the scene would change again before she had to relive the first intimate night she had spent with Malfoy.

"For God's sake, what the hell do you want?" she heard herself scream, staggering on the stairs.

"You."

To Hermione's relief, she saw the room start to blur around her once more, however, this time the pain in her head intensified. She closed her eyes in pain and as she opened them again, she found herself in her former bedroom in Hogwarts. She saw her younger self, sitting upright in her bed, clutching white sheets around her naked body as Malfoy stood casually propped against the window in green boxers, staring out into the sky. Hermione tried not to stare at his naked torso and instead she tried to focus on the importance of this scene – she had been so naïve back then.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Malfoy asked, breaking the silence between them.

Hermione sat down on the bed, looking away from the two lovers as she listened to answers she already knew.

"I wouldn't mind going into Ministry training, maybe train to be a Defender or a judge."

"So you could put criminals like me in jail?"

"I could never do that!"

"Sure you would."

Such light words, which held so much truth behind them. With tears swelling in her eyes, Hermione turned around to see Malfoy bending down to kiss his girl. The familiar spinning began, however, as it stopped, Hermione didn't seem to fall anywhere and instead she found herself in the exact same room, except that it was dark. Catching her breath, Hermione looked down at her younger self sleeping under the covers, whilst Malfoy lay beside her in his clothes, holding her tightly.

His eyes were open and he was watching her sleep peacefully beside him. A bright flame burned behind his silver gaze but at the same time, he was watching her with such tenderness and concern, that Hermione's jaw dropped with awe. Her sleeping form seemed to give Malfoy all the joy in the world. But Hermione had never seen him look at her like that. She tried to remember when this had taken place, but she couldn't recall the exact memory among all the nights she had spent with him.

Malfoy suddenly kissed the top of the sleeping girl's head and whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Granger. You've opened up my heart."

The softness of his words caused a sob to form in Hermione's throat and tears suddenly threatened to spill down her cheeks. She had never heard him say it before and it killed her that she didn't know when exactly he had said it. She wanted to stay with him – her Draco – just like she remembered him in her dreams, she wanted to drown in the loving gaze he cast upon her younger self forever, never leave this memory again but once more, his face began to smudge and the joy in his eyes quickly faded away with everything else surrounding her.

Hermione felt her feet hit the ground abruptly and pain seared yet again through her head, blinding her temporarily and making her hope that it would all be over soon. She scolded herself for not knowing how to pull out of the Pensieve, since she had had enough of watching Malfoy causing her so much pain and suffering and she silently wondered with irritation where his memories had taken her now.

However, when her eyes snapped open and caught sight of the dark shadows of the trees falling upon her -

Her heart skipped a beat.

_Oh no – oh God – please, not this!_

The sky was exceptionally dark, except for the moon, which shone ever so brightly, and the frequent flash of lightning, which ripped through the black night. The rain, as she painfully remembered, was pouring down in buckets, but since she was incorporal, it didn't penetrate her clothes or even seem to touch her.

Hermione was back – back in the clearing in the Forbidden forest – back the night, after the final war, where it had all ended - or all begun. Although she was outside, it only took a second for all of the air to vanish around her, halting her ability to breathe and think coherently.

_No please – I don't want to see this – I can't live through this again!_

But then, she froze as she saw him – Malfoy, all wrapped up in his black cloak, his hood covering his face. He walked quickly towards her although the ground had turned into a huge slippery puddle of mud and the rain was beating down on his cloak. As he reached the centre of the clearing, a voice rang out in the air. It was Hermione's younger self, coming after him.

Hermione inhaled sharply.

"Where were you? Why did you disappear?" she heard herself call out over the sound of the rain, confused eyes looking desperately into steel gray ones.

Coming back to her senses, Hermione refused to look at them and turned away, covering her ears with her hands as she shut her eyes tight. She couldn't watch; it was too much. Remembering was already painful, but reliving that moment, actually seeing herself go through it again, would rip her apart. She stood her ground refusing to look, feeling her heart pound in her chest as she knew what would inevitably happen.

Malfoy's voice suddenly roared fiercely and she jumped in fright, opening her eyes against her will, as her hands dropped by her sides.

" -he killed as many Mudbloods as Purebloods. He didn't understand the reality of the world around him. He only believed in torture and death. I can do better than that – I've waited for an opportunity like this all my life."

Unthinkingly, Hermione couldn't help but listen to him and her head slowly turned around. Her terrified gaze fell upon the two figures and she watched with wide eyes the scene before her. A mix of horror, distress and pain coursed through her body as she stared at the girl before her slowly being torn apart, word after word, with tears running down her cheeks.

"But what about us?" Hermione mouthed as the young girl spoke the words out loud, her poignant brown eyes begging him.

Draco's laughter rang through their ears. Hermione tried once more to look away but she couldn't. Her eyes seemed fixed to the two figures, standing in the rain, in the middle of the clearing screaming and clinging at each other. It was horrifying. Hermione could feel every inch of her body screaming in pain as she stood on the side, watching them helplessly, wanting to scream with every fibre of her being for it to stop, before the inevitable happened.

But the memory simply continued.

The deep kiss – the revelation about Dumbledore – the bright flash of lightening ripping the heavens apart as she fell to the ground.

"Draco, please! Don't do this!" she heard herself beg, her eyes pleading desperately for him to stay with her, to hold her, to take her away from all of it. "Don't you understand - I can't live without you."

Hermione felt her robes suddenly dampen as tears rolled down her cheeks. She cried out in pain, from the ache in her heart, as she watched Malfoy kiss her younger self. And then, he was gone.

"Someone please," Hermione cried out, her words choked by her tears. "I can't watch this anymore – please, let me out!

The forest began to spin around her again and Hermione felt pain course through her entire body this time. When it finally stopped, her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground.

"Draco," she choked out, rolling on her side, tears streaming down her face. "Draco -"

In reply, Hermione heard a muffled sound. She slowly sat herself up and saw that she was in a luxurious green and silver decorated bedroom. She heard the sound again and her eyes darted to the bed where she spotted Malfoy, on the floor, leaning against it. His knees were to his chest and his hands covered his bowed head.

Wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve, Hermione approached the reclined figure and watched as Malfoy's shoulders shook uncontrollably. He was crying. Although it was quiet, Hermione recognised the same muffled sounds from the days she saw Ron cry over his dead brothers.

She was stunned.

"What have I done?" Malfoy suddenly whispered in his hands.

Hermione drew closer as he lifted his head and his shimmering silver eyes pierced right through her own. "What the fuck have I done?"

The room began to swirl rapidly around Hermione once more and suddenly, her body was thrown back out of the Pensieve and into the office again. The second she landed, the office door swung wide open.

"What are you still doing here?" Malfoy bellowed, standing before her.

Hermione's eyes flew wide open, horrified, and it took a few seconds for her mind to understand that she was back in reality; this wasn't a memory anymore. Deep pools of silver filled with regret had suddenly become unblinking, emotionless grey eyes, staring right back at her, as if nothing had ever happened. His icy stare cut through Hermione like a knife.

"How much did you see?" he asked her slowly in a cold voice.

Her dark brown eyes looked up to him, tears threatening to fall again and she took a step backward.

"Enough," she answered quietly, her voice still quivering with emotion. "I saw enough."

His eyes widened at her truthful answer and she couldn't help but want the same honesty in return.

"Was it true?" The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "Did you regret what you did?"

He stared at her for a long time before answering. "I don't regret anything, Granger, but I hate living with it. That's why I bought the Pensieve."

Her foot hit the sofa behind, catching her by surprise. She felt so weak that her legs gave in once more and she fell backwards. However, before she hit the sofa, a firm hand grasped her own and pulled her up. Malfoy stood before her in a flash and unthinkingly, she threw her arms around him, holding him tightly, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. His body was tense against hers but slowly, Hermione felt his strong arms wrap around her shoulders and it made her cry even more.

They stood in the office, clinging to one another for a long time, hearing only Hermione's sobs. Eventually, she felt his warm breath on her neck.

"I've told you once and I'll say it again," his deep voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm sorry."

Hermione sniffed loudly and pulled away, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry simply isn't enough, Malfoy," she answered him, looking up into his vacant silver stare "And besides, I don't want your pity."

She quickly gathered her stuff, still sitting on the couch and left his office without a backward glance. It was all clear to her now. The Draco she had learned to love so many years ago was dead.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Hermione spent the following day in Muggle London, alongside her mother, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, shopping for her wedding dress. It was supposed to be an exciting and enchanting day for a woman but Hermione didn't feel happy at all. She hardly listened to the saleswomen fluttering around her nor to her mother and her mother's in law gossip and comments about the numerous dresses.

Hermione was fitted into more dresses in one day than in all her life. They were short, long, with a trail, white, creamy white, beige, satin, lace and yet, it all seemed like one big blur to her. She hardly remembered the one they had finally picked out, she had let them have their way. She didn't care – she didn't even notice – Hermione Granger's mind had been miles away from weddings and dresses – one and only one thought plagued her mind that afternoon and he had white-blond hair and silver eyes.

It was rather late at night when she finally managed to apparate back to Hogsmeade, after having dinner with her parents. She sighed in relief when she spotted her street and quickly entered a red and black building, heading to the second floor, to her flat.

She quickly ditched her bag and coat on a large chair in the entrance hall and headed for the kitchen, eager to make herself a cup of tea. Wondering what Abigail was up to, she passed through the living room, finding it empty. Frowning, she turned towards a narrow corridor and knocked on the guest bedroom door before opening it. Her eyes spotted Abigail sitting on the window sill, looking out onto the street. The bright moon illuminated her dark face and eyes, making her look pale and fragile. She didn't seem to have noticed Hermione's presence at all.

Hermione watched Abigail slowly lift a bottle of Firewhisky to her lips and drink from it. Her face scowled for a second as the dark liquid burnt her throat but her eyes remained fixed on the dark night.

"Are you going to tell me off again?" Hermione heard her ask suddenly, laughing softly. "You don't need to, I know what I'm doing."

She took another swig from the bottle as Hermione let go of the door handle and stepped forward to sit on her cousin's bed. It was the third time that she had caught her drinking like this since she'd moved in.

"Maybe it's time you invented a spell against alcohol," Hermione suggested, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Kinda defeats the point, don't you think?" Abigail retorted sardonically.

Hermione shook her head and started folding the various items of clothes strewn across the bed. At least she wasn't smoking as well.

"Where are Ron and Ginny? I thought they were coming over tonight?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.

Abigail's eyes flicked back towards the window. "They're out on a mission."

"Without you?"

She shrugged. "I might be an active field agent in the Order, but if Ron doesn't need me then I'm not going to complain. He's in charge, he plans the missions."

She brought the bottle back to her lips again. "Besides," she added bitterly. "We've got a new teammate now."

From the tone of her voice, Hermione knew exactly who she was referring to and guessed that he was also the reason behind the heavy drinking. "Is it Harry?"

She noticed Abigail's shoulder tense at the name. "Yes and I don't want to talk about it. How was your day?" She turned around, obviously desperate to change the subject and think of happier things.

Hermione couldn't blame her, she knew what the other girl was feeling and although she desperately wanted to lighten the mood after the emotional roller coaster she had been through the previous night, the thought of her 'special' day didn't seem to help.

"I have a wedding dress," she said deadpanned, staring down at her hands. However, her eyes caught sight of the Firewhisky bottle instead, which was dangling from Abigail's hand.

"Does it help, Abby?" she asked softly, her eyes fixed on the dark liquid within. "Does it numb the pain?"

Abigail's eyes flicked down to her and regarded her calmly. After a few moments, she handed her the bottle. "For a little while – yeah, it does."

Slowly, Hermione grabbed hold of it but continued to stare at the liquor inside. "Will it ever go away?"

Abigail came to sit beside her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as Hermione took her first swig of Firewhiskey that night.

"I don't think it's meant to, honey," she answered gently.

**..~**~..**

* * *

An hour later, Hermione was laughing and rolling around on the living room blue couch.

"And then – and then, after he recovered from the Fainting Fancy, Fred managed to sneak a few Canary Creams among the deserts and Harry's hand went straight for it!" Abigail choked, laughing uncontrollably on the other side of the couch.

"Oh my God, Mrs. Weasley must have had a fit!" Hermione said, helping herself to another spoonful of chocolate ice-cream from the large tub. The bottle of Odgen's Old Firewhisky had been finished a while ago and many bottles of Butterbeer now lay around on the floor along with chocolate wrappings and ice-cream.

"Merlin, that was one of the best times at the Burrow I'd ever had," Abigail admitted, thinking back to her first Sunday dinner with the Weasleys during her seventh-year at Hogwarts. "It's a shame you were still abroad in France then."

"Oh yeah, I'd gone to visit my family for a while," Hermione hiccoughed, grabbing another Butterbeer. "Pfff! Yet another pathetic attempt to get over Malfoy."

As the words left her lips, her smile disappeared. Her eyes looked across to Abigail's, which were still bubbling with joy.

"Oh no – don't bring up that pompous git again!" Abby cried out and suddenly stood up, her feet staggering a little before she striked a pose, similar to Malfoy's.

"Tsk, tsk, manners Miss Serpent," she imitated his drawl, a smirk on her lips. "Cursing is not fit for us Purebloods."

Hermione burst out into another fit of giggles and Abigail soon followed her, collapsing on the sofa. "Oh Merlin, I wish Fred was here. He imitates Malfoy so much better than me."

As she spoke, they both heard the front door click open and turning each other in surprise as if they'd been caught, the two girls laughed even harder than before.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Ron exclaimed, entering the room. But he quickly got his answer, as he spotted the empty bottles littering the floor.

"Merlin, 'Mione! Are you drunk?" he asked, watching her squeal in laughter, holding the ice-cream in her lap.

"Oh come on, Ron! We're just having a bit of fun!" Abby retorted, downing her Butterbeer.

"You, Serpent, are already is enough trouble as it is!" he told her sternly, pointing a finger at her. "Why weren't you at the mission debriefing?"

"I wasn't part of the bloody mission!"

"You know very well everyone has to attend them to know how everything went!" he retorted, clearing up the mess around him with his wand. "Now help me get 'Mione into bed."

Hermione watched the exchange with interest and amusement. Her head was spinning and she felt quite sick from all the junk food but otherwise she was perfectly fine! Ron had no right to call her drunk!

And then suddenly a thought popped inside her head.

"Ron, Ron!" she called out to him in a silly voice, as he picked her up in his arms and carried her to her bed, with Abigail staggering behind.

"What is it, love?" he asked, impatience in his voice.

"I have a wedding dress!" she exclaimed loudly and giggled once more before kissing him soundly on the lips.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Yes, drinking is bad I know but Abby's such bad influence! Well I hoped you enjoyed the Pensieve scene, it took me ages to write it. Every moment in it is faithful to D,L,S , you can check! Oh and extra points to whoever can guess why Hermione loves Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale!**

**Next chapter: more Abby, more Harry and more Ginny, nightclubs, vampires and someone gets punched!**

**Merry Christmas to you all, please leave a review and don't forget to check out my forum all about Draco and Hermione!**


	9. Fighting Skills

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world doesn't belong to me but to JK Rowling. I don't own the song 'Against All Odds' either.**

**Author's Notes: Hello and welcome back! Yes, it has been a terrible long time but there is a good reason for my long absence: this chapter is simply enormous (about 21 pages long!) Probably my longest chapter yet I believe, and I still didn't manage to fit everything. Lol! **

**Well, a big, big THANK YOU to everybody you reviewed, you know who you are! The previous chapter was very popular and I'm guessing that has to do with the Pensieve scene!**

**Congrats to dracoschic89 and dmprincesa21 who correctly answered that Hermione was a character from 'A Winter's Tale'.**

**Enjoy chapter 9! And don't take any notice of the silly chapter title, I couldn't think of anything else.**

**..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

Abigail stepped outside into the garden, pulling a grey sweatshirt over her head. It was early in the morning and although it was spring, the chilly wind whipped against Abigail's ears and the entire Weasley garden was still covered with a sheet of frosty dew.

Since Abigail wasn't expecting Ron to arrive until another half hour for their weekly training, she decided to start warming up. Hurrying herself deeper into the garden, she quickly came up to a small wooden shed standing beyond the pond. After unlocking the wooden door with her wand, she peered inside.

The square wooden shed had been magically enlarged to store dozens of both magical and Muggle weapons provided by the Order for training purposes. Since the Burrow had a garden, with enough space for the Order members to train in, the shed had been built there rather than at 12, Grimmauld Place. Bill and Charlie had already turned that particular garden corner, next to the pond, into a training area, when they had first entered the Order and now Ron, Abigail and Ginny were often seen training in it.

Usually, every Sunday, Abigail met up with Ron in the morning to practice her fighting skills. Although her knowledge of magic was superior to his, which made her one of the best field agents, her fighting abilities were not so good. Ron, on the other hand, had developed great magical and Muggle fighting skills from intensive Auror trainings and had happily agreed to teach his team how to fight without a wand.

Looking around at the impressive display of swords, axes, knives, spears, sai, and other Muggle weapons, Abigail finally retrieved a couple of bo staffs for her training. She propped them against the shed and shivered slightly. She was only wearing black cotton pants and a T-shirt underneath the hoodie and so she quickly started her warm-up.

Ten minutes later, after much running and stretching, she was efficiently hitting a punching bag, hanging from a tree branch beside the shed. She breathed hard as she worked her leg muscles, kicking the bag over and over again.

Abigail secretly treasured these moments she spent alone in the garden, exercising with the punching bag. Morning trainings always allowed her to forget all of her problems for a short time and simply concentrate on letting her energy out and she loved it. The complete silence around her, except for a few birds, was also refreshing before the large crowd of Weasleys and Order members arrived for Sunday lunch.

She smiled to herself and brought her left leg up high, hitting the leather bag hard.

"Nice kick!" a deep voice suddenly shot out behind her.

Abigail turned her head sharply, her eyes spotting a tall figure standing in the kitchen doorway. Harry Potter was casually leaning against the doorframe; his arms crossed against his chest and a small smile lingering on his lips. Her eyes narrowed at his sight and she turned her back on him, resuming her training.

"I never knew the Weasleys kept a shack full of weapons in their garden," she heard him say, the sound of his footsteps approaching towards her.

She stopped again, keeping her back to him. What the hell was he doing at the Burrow and why was he even talking to her? Didn't he realise that she didn't want to see him, let alone talk to him?

"What are you doing here?" she asked icily.

"I've only just arrived from Grimmauld Place with Lupin. We were both invited for lunch again. And you?"

She finally turned her head and glared at him. He was standing a few metres away from her now, looking around the garden, his hands stuck in his pockets. He was dressed completely in Muggle clothes: dark jeans and a warm black jacket.

"I'm training," she answered bluntly, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. "Ron should be here any minute now for the real thing."

Harry smiled, his emerald eyes regarding her calmly. "Good," he said, his gaze flicking at the two bo staffs, propped up against the shed and then back at her. "I'll finally be able to see my teammates in action then."

"Teammates?" she echoed, turning around to face him fully. "What are you talking about? Ron said you were on Lupin's team."

"I was," he answered honestly, shrugging slightly. "But Dumbledore finally decided to switch me with Kingsley last night."

Abigail's eyes flew open.

"WHAT?"

Kingsley Shaklebolt, an Auror and one of the best field agents of the Order, had been on Ron's team with Abigail and Ginny, since the girls had left Hogwarts. He had been their mentor to start with and now their teammate. The team had been together for nearly three years, surely Dumbledore would never have changed their team without consulting them first?

"Ron was only told this morning," Harry added, as an afterthought. "He didn't look too happy about it either, but I don't think Dumbledore gave him much choice. Looks like you're stuck with me now."

He paused, taking no notice of the murderous glare she threw him. "So, you any good without a wand?"

Abigail couldn't believe her ears. _What a pompous git!_ She had already noticed a slight change in Harry when they had met. He had immediately seemed overly confident in his actions and words, but she had never believed he could ever become so – so arrogant! He was smiling brightly back at her, as though everything was back to normal between them and she couldn't help to want to wipe the silly grin off his face.

"You want me to show you?" she said dangerously, pulling on her black combat gloves. She didn't expect an answer.

"Sure, let's see what you can do." Harry pulled off his jacket and laid it on a garden chair nearby. Underneath, he was wearing a large green T-shirt, bearing a Muggle label, which matched his dazzling eyes. Abigail couldn't help but stare a little at his exposed arms. Quidditch had obviously done wonders for his once thin and scrawny body.

"Oh, I don't think so," she told quickly, laughing quietly. Although it was tempting to beat her ex-boyfriend to a pulp, Abigail also knew it wasn't the best solution to her problems.

"Try me."

"Stop fooling around," she said impatiently. "You haven't even gone through the Order's initial training yet."

"Please! Remember who you're talking to," he said haughtily, taking a step forward. "I'm Harry Potter, I don't need training. I defeated the Dark Lord single-handedly."

Hearing his words, Abigail's dark eyes lit up._ Single-handedly? _

"Are you serious?" she spat back out at him, not believing her ears. He looked back at her and shrugged.

That did it. Suddenly, physical violence seemed much more alluring to Abigail and looked like the perfect way to get him out of her system once and for all. Anger suddenly pumped in her veins and she continued to glare at him furiously as he spread his arms out with raised eyebrows.

He was waiting for her to attack.

Abigail lunged at him in a flash and sent a well-aimed punch to his face, which connected with his jaw hard. For a moment, Harry, caught by surprise, staggered backwards a little, but then, he quickly came back to his senses and attacked her in return. Abigail blocked off all of his attacks and exploited momentary distractions to punch and kick him back.

They fought closely, body to body, none of them holding back their force and both very quick and swift in their movements. Abigail was surprised that Harry was keeping up and astonished to see that he wasn't even breaking into a sweat. As the minutes went on, he even seemed to anticipate her next moves and managed to block them successfully.

She aimed yet another high kick but he grabbed her leg in time and pushed her back roughly, causing her to fly back and land hard on the ground. She flipped over, springing to her feet and then sent another punch right to his face, which he rapidly blocked. She managed to grab his hand in the process and twisted it over her shoulder, quickly bringing him to the ground. He landed on his back with a loud thump but instead of wincing in pain, his left foot swept under her and swiped her legs. Abigail fell hard on her shoulder but immediately, she rolled away from Harry's reach. Getting up to her foot quickly, she caught sight of the two bo staffs and ran over to grab them.

Harry, on his feet again, paused as he saw the weapons and then looked up at her expectantly. She slowly walked back towards him, twirling one of the staffs in her right hand. Abigail finally threw the other bo staff down at his feet, forcing him to pick it up and when Harry obliged, she whacked her own staff hard in his side.

"Had enough yet, Potter?" she taunted him, as he staggered sideways, having managed to grab the weapon off the ground.

"Not quite," he grunted and he lunged forwards, handling the bo staff like an expert.

Abigail's eyes flew open yet again in surprise and she quickly tried to block every attack he threw at her as best as she could. They fought tirelessly for several minutes until suddenly, she felt the hard wooden stick collide with her thigh with a smack!

Flinching in pain, she jumped back, putting enough distance between them to recover momentarily from her injury. She knew she would have a large bruise on her leg by lunchtime and Ron would definitely not be happy about it, but after all, he was late and fighting Harry proved to be quite a good replacement training.

If only she could wipe that superior look off his face! Harry's lips curved up once more, and he sent her a stunning apologetic smile, the same smile she had seen hundreds of times on wizarding magazine covers. Her stomach clenched and her heart pounded fiercely against her chest, but Abigail ignored it all and angrily brought her bo staff down over her upheld knee, causing the wooden stick to snap in two.

She'd always preferred it that way.

Twirling each staff in a hand, she resumed the fighting, which proved to be much more effective in both attack and defence. After a few minutes, she had successfully used one stick to block Harry's staff from connecting with her other leg, and with her other hand, she quickly flung his bo staff out of his hands. It flew in the air and landed several feet away from them in the bushes.

Harry was now weaponless and at Abigail's mercy. She grinned as she held her smaller staffs threateningly at his throat. She was really starting to enjoy herself. However, he didn't seem upset in the least and even looked back at her amused. Extending his right hand towards the bushes, his green eyes flicked to the bushes.

"_Accio staff!_" he called out and instantly, it flew up the air and back into his hand.

Abigail's jaw dropped open in shock and she backed away from him in fright. He'd just cast a spell without his wand! Harry Potter had just performed wandless magic right in front of her eyes! To her knowledge, even Dumbledore wasn't really capable of it.

Taking advantage of her sudden distraction, Harry hit the back of her knees with his staff, causing her to fall over. Although she struggled against his restraint, he finally managed to straddle her waist, pinning her arms to the grounds.

"Merlin, where the fuck did you learn to do wandless magic?" she asked, her voice betraying panic and suspicion.

Harry looked down at her breathing hard, a serious look on his face.

"I didn't disappear for six months to go sun-bathing you know."

His words caught her off guard, but her face soon fell as he finally admitted why he had left her three years ago. Harry's soft emerald eyes locked on her own and although she willed herself to look away and conceal her hurt feelings, she simply couldn't.

"Don't look at me like that, Abby," he said huskily and let go of her wrist to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

Abigail goggled at him in astonishment. Every trace of teasing and arrogance had disappeared from his voice, which was now soothing and familiar. Her heart skipped a little at his touch, crushing her anger and resolve.

"Harry –" she began, staring right back into his eyes, but a voice suddenly rang out from behind, causing them both to jump in surprise.

"Get the bloody hell off her!" Ron's loud voice boomed across the garden.

Before either of them could scramble up to their feet, Harry was roughly pulled away from her. Ron had grasped Harry's t-shirt from behind and whirled him around to face him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted again and Abigail remembered the suspicious position he had found them in.

"Ron, don't worry, I'm –"

But she broke off, flinching from the pain in her leg as she tried to get back on her feet. Ron's eyes grew even wider.

"You harmed her?" he shouted angrily at Harry, who looked back in surprise.

"No, wait, it wasn't like that, I –"

Ron, however, gave him a look of utter disgust. "You arrogant piece of shit! Don't you think you've already hurt her enough?"

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hey, hold on mate, you don't understand –"

"Who are you calling '_mate_'?" Ron butted in fiercely, his hands balling into fists. "If you think you can waltz back into our lives after having deserted us and think that you'll be welcomed with open arms, you're greatly mistaken! We've managed just fine since you've left and we certainly don't need you now, so why don't you go back to your Quidditch team and leave us the hell alone?"

Abigail held her breath in, simply lost for words. She had never seen Ron this angry before. She thought desperately of something to say to calm down the situation but her mind was blank. Harry's face, which had looked utterly alarmed one minute, had quickly changed into a cold and angry expression.

"So, this is what it's really about," he muttered bitterly, holding Ron's stare. "I went away and you had to stay. You're pissed off because I became a Quidditch player, whilst you continued to fight. "

"It's not like I had much choice," Ron shot back through clenched teeth. "I have two brothers to avenge in case you forgot."

Abigail froze in stupor. Ron never spoke of Charlie or George unless provoked and when he did, it usually was a very bad sign. She realised that she had better calm down the two hotheaded guys, before things went seriously out of hand.

"Ron, stop it!" she said briefly, taking another step forward.

They were still glowering at each other murderously and neither seemed to notice her.

"I'm fine, really. Harry didn't really hurt me, come on it's me, I've had much worse than this. And it's not like I wasn't fighting back or anything. I'm sure he didn't mean to –"

"So, you think I abandoned everyone and simply forgot about those who died in the war against Voldemort, do you?" Harry spat out, taking a threatening step towards Ron.

"Yeah, I reckon you did," the red-heard replied, stepping forward as well.

Abigail turned her head around frantically, looking for her wand, but instead, she quickly caught sight of Hermione and Ginny, hurrying out towards them.

"You think I forgot about Sirius, Charlie, Tonks, George, Cho, Seamus and all the rest of them, do you?"

Harry's emerald eyes were blazing, as if on fire, whilst his shoulders shook with rage.

"What's going on here?" Hermione asked briskly, sensing the air thick with tension and noticing her boyfriend's beetroot face.

"Yeah," Ron answered on the beat, with a vicious satisfaction on his face, "yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

"I killed Voldemort!" Harry roared at him, causing Hermione and Ginny to jump back in fright.

Abigail had heard enough. "For Merlin's sake guys, there's no need to –"

But Ron gave out a dry laugh. "Ha! As if you were alone!" he snarled furiously. "So what you defeated Voldemort! Malfoy managed to regroup all the remaining Death Eaters hours after his defeat! They've murdered and tortured more people than Voldemort himself and yet, they're still roaming freely around the wizarding world, calling themselves Lords! They're all buddies with the Minister, Scrimgeour, and forced more decrees through the Ministry than Dolores Umbridge did at Hogwarts in our fifth year! Do you know how many Muggle-born families are out on the streets as we speak, famished and without a single knut because of their so-called 'impure' blood? Do you know how many wizards and witches have disappeared or have been killed in 'mysterious circumstances' since they've regrouped? But of course, you wouldn't know any of this, because you left! As soon as you'd decided that the prophecy had been fulfilled and nothing was no longer needed from you, you buggered off to the other side of the world for three years to catch golden snitches and appear on magazine covers! Obviously, this war isn't important to you anymore because now Voldemort's dead and the prophecy is fulfilled! Merlin, why the hell do you even want to be part of the Order, when clearly, I'm surprised you even remember our names!"

"You fucking bastard!" Harry exploded, lunging himself at Ron as Hermione and Ginny both shouted "No!"

Harry flung his fist in Ron's stomach and in return, he received a blow in the nose. The two tall and hefty guys fought in fury, tirelessly, as Ginny and Abby unsuccessfully tried to hold them back. Hermione ran off hurriedly to the Burrow, shouting that she was going to fetch her wand, but Abigail barely listened to her as she struggled to hold Ron's arm back. He shook her off violently and she swore loudly. Maybe it was best to leave them fight it out until they'd finally relieved their mutual anger, but knowing how stubborn both of them could be, she realised that they'd probably end up killing one another.

"Ron! Harry! Please, stop being so stupid!" Ginny shouted at them, trying to break them up.

Angry and annoyed herself, Abigail wrenched Ron off Harry and stepped between them, trying to hold them away at arm's length. However, as she did so, a loud shriek was heard from the kitchen doorway and an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke up.

"Harry, darling! What in Merlin's name is going on?"

Harry had stopped dead in his tracks. Abigail, who had also stopped abruptly, turned her head to see the person at the door. However, Ron, who had barely registered the newcomer's voice, thrust his fist towards Harry and hit Abigail hard in the face instead.

She keeled over, falling on her hands, hot blood gushing out of her broken nose. Ginny gasped loudly as Ron muttered a small "shit!"

Abby shook her head, dazed and blinking back tears from the searing pain in her face.

"Fuck!" she cried out loudly, as Ginny ran by her side. "Ron, you idiot!"

So much for wanting to break them up so they wouldn't get hurt! Now, she was the one with the bloody nose and who looked like an utter fool. Anger rose up from her chest and she sprang to her feet, wanting to hit Ron back, but Ginny held her back just in time and then, Hermione came rushing towards them, wand in hand.

"Shit, Abby, I'm sorry," Ron muttered, peering over Ginny, afraid to come any closer.

Abigail sat back down on the grass, holding her hands up to her nose, collecting the blood. She threw him the dirtiest look she could muster. A tall and thin blonde gorgeous girl suddenly appeared, followed by Hermione, her bright blue eyes looking at Harry in shock and confusion. She had been the one who spoke up and caused the unfortunate incident.

Abigail recognised her instantly from various wizarding magazines, in which she had seen the blonde witch pose in. She was the rich and superficial model that Malfoy had taunted her about – Harry's girlfriend – Linda. However, Harry wasn't facing his girlfriend, instead he was looking down at Abigail with worry as Hermione and Ginny bustled around to examine her face. She looked up, casting him an unfriendly look and noticed that he was sporting a black eye and swollen lip.

As the blonde girl reached them, he turned away and hurried by her side, explaining what had happened. Abigail wanted to listen in to their conversation but their voices were drowned out by Hermione's voice casting various spells and Ron muttering apologetically behind her. They had soon disappeared back inside the house.

"I can't believe you hit me!" she hissed at Ron, letting Ginny haul her up to her feet. "I didn't need you to come and save me in the first place! I was perfectly fine! Now look what you've done! I have work tonight as well!"

"Don't worry, you should look normal again in a few hours," Hermione reassured her, walking back alongside her to the house. "All you need now is some ice for your swollen cheek."

She ushered Abigail inside but then immediately rounded on Ron, who was the only one left outside.

"Jesus Christ, Ron! What were you thinking provoking him like that?" she shrieked at him, just as the garden door closed, drowning out their voices.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Sunday lunch went on without any more arguments breaking out. Ron and Harry behaved themselves in front of the others and Abigail, holding a bag of ice against her cheek the entire meal, refused to talk to either of them. She was furious with them and felt utterly humiliated. The worst part was Harry's girlfriend, Linda, who happened to be a very conceited and naïve person, had laughed the whole incident off, after Harry had explained it to her, and then had given Abby a blindingly white, amused smile when they were introduced.

Lupin, on the other hand, looked distressed when he heard about Ron and Harry's fight and kept a close watch on them during the whole time, smiling comfortingly at Abigail. Fred had restrained himself several times from collapsing into fits of laughter when he saw the state of Abigail's face and kept grinning at her madly during the whole meal.

During dessert, she'd had enough and tried to stick her tongue out at him, which only made the pain worse and caused her to grimace instead. Seeing the look on her face, Fred promptly dissolved into peals of laughter. She knew he was only trying to cheer her up and laugh about the whole thing, but the truth was she felt utterly humiliated facing Harry in such a state, especially since his stunningly beautiful girlfriend was present too. Harry had tried to catch her eye several times over lunch, but every time, Abigail had looked down at her plate or pretended not to see him.

When the huge meal was finally over, Ginny and Abigail stood up to leave for work and left the kitchen hastily, followed by unsympathetic looks on both Mrs. Weasley and Hermione's faces. Neither of them approved of their jobs at the Hellfire Club, however, they also knew it was no good convincing the girls to drop them. Abigail and Ginny simply needed the money too badly and so, with a pinch of Floo powder, they disappeared from the Weasley's chimney in a bright flash of green flames.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Smoke filled the dimly lit club, where a large crowd of wizard and witches had come to dance on the new Weird Sister's beat.

The Hellfire Club was one of the most popular nightclubs in wizarding London, although it's regular clientele wasn't as large or respectable as the one filling the cavernous room that night. Located near Knockturn Alley, the club alternated every night between being a regular bar, a commercial club and cabaret nights. The inside of the club was definitely more attractive than the gloomy outside building. It had magical floating candles and torches around the walls, red couches and chairs along with small glass tables all along the edges and a large black and gold bar to one end.

As Malfoy's power had increased over the years, so did the number of wizard and witches who came to the club, hiding in the dark corners, drowning their sorrows in alcohol and, on some nights, listening to a combination of Muggle and wizard tunes provided by the club's own singer, Ginny Weasley.

Tonight, however, the club was quite full and the dancefloor was covered with scantily-clad young wizard and witches, dancing against each other to the upbeat music.

As Ginny was serving behind the bar, Abby was perched up on it, dancing to the music, holding on to the golden rail above her. It was her job, along with another girl, Rebecca, to dance on the bar, dressed in tight black pants, a sparkling tank top and boots, and entice the crowd's attention, mostly men's, towards the bar. It was no wonder the Daily Prophet had slated the two girl's reputation when they had found out about their night jobs. Abigail knew she was one item of clothing close to being a stripper, but she didn't care for it much. She loved dancing, she loved her job and with her quick reflexes and magic, she had always managed to get out of sticky situations, whenever she got hassled by drunken men. Besides, being a bartender also meant that she heard lots of useful gossip for the Order and of course, the job paid generally well – especially the tips.

Swaying her hips from side to side to the music, Abigail looked over her shoulder at Ginny and the other two barmaids, who were running back and forth between the till, the drinks and the customers.

"Gin!" she yelled over the loud music and as the red-head looked up at her, she brought her hand to her lips, signalling that she wanted water. She then turned to look up across the room and caught Lupin's eye. He was sitting quietly by himself, at the far end of the club, in a dark corner, sipping his Firewhiskey. She grinned at him. Why on earth he had decided to show up on a busy clubbing night, she couldn't understand. He usually preferred the quieter, more regular nights where he could sulk in his corner alone, lost in his thoughts.

Her gaze then fell upon a familiar blond wizard, sitting on a couch, not far from the bar and watching her every movement intently with round blue eyes. It was Luke – he had come along with a whole gang of friends and was probably hoping he wouldn't have to leave the club alone.

Before Abby could show him any sign of recognition, someone grabbed her leg from behind. It was Ginny, holding up a pint of water for her.

"Thanks," Abigail cried out and pressed the cool glass against her cheek which still hurt a little. She then downed the water hurriedly and resumed her dancing. She was nearly done now; just a couple more hours and the dance floor would give way to a stage again for the rest of the early morning hours for Ginny's singing.

She stepped seductively along the bar, meeting Rebecca in the middle and they both danced up against each other. This was met by loud cheering and applause by the male crowd. She moved away again, dancing to the beat, her hands holding on to the rail above her head. She closed her eyes a little, savouring the pleasure of dancing to one of her favourite tunes, trying to forget everything else around her but it was difficult. As she felt the song come to an end, she dropped to her feet posing like a cat, in front of the large crowd. On the last beat, she then threw her head back, sending her long hair out of her face, breathing heavily, sweating horribly, but smiling all the same.

She opened her dark eyes and met emerald green ones.

She felt as if someone had just doused her with an enormous bucket of ice-cold water, as she suddenly faced Harry Potter, who stood a few feet before her, his jaw hanging down in shock. A feeling of intense shame overcame her and she quickly hopped off the bar before he could see her burning cheeks, although they were already red from the heat. She turned away quickly and walked around the bar to stand behind it.

"Abby! Wait!"

"What?" she asked coldly, spinning around to face him.

"I – you –" but no words came out of his mouth as his wide eyes goggled at her outfit in astonishment.

"Don't take any notice of the stammering idiot, Miss – er, Lady – Miss Serpent," said a tall handsome man, with sandy hair and tanned skin, standing beside Harry. "I really enjoyed your performance, you're a very skilled dancer!"

Before she could answer the man, he held out his hand amicably.

"Dan Parker," he introduced himself, smiling broadly. "I'm on the England Quidditch team along with this famous git!"

A small smile broke upon Abigail's face at his words and Harry's snapped back into focus. He fell silent, not knowing what to say. Abigail looked from one guy to the other, noticing the expensive Muggle clothes they were wearing.

"Abigail, what are you doing here?" Harry asked stupidly.

She fought down her feelings of panic and shame as her eyes darted around the room, avoiding his confused stare.

"I work here," she said bluntly, just as Ginny appeared from behind.

"Abby, I need you to –" she paused, seeing the others and her eyes flew open. "Harry, Dan – hi! What are you guys doing here?"

"I have to get back to work," Abigail started before either could answer and she quickly sped back to the bar to serve drinks.

She watched the three of them, out of the corner of her eye, chatting wildly to each other. Ginny seemed quite pleased to see Dan Parker, who she had already met at the Ministry Party and who seemed to be doing most of the talking, whilst Harry kept glancing over his shoulder to the bar. Abigail kept her head down, focusing on her work and finally, she saw Ginny leave backstage and Harry and Dan go off to sit with Lupin. She closed her eyes in relief and stood against the side of the bar, leaning her head against the cool pillar whilst fanning her face with a drink's menu.

Harry's shocked expression kept flashing before her eyes and she felt as though a brick had dropped into her stomach. She couldn't help but remember her summer after Voldemort's defeat when she had flatly refused jobs in bars and nightclubs and told Harry that she would never demean herself to work in such humiliating conditions.

But people changed. As the years went on and the wizarding unemployment rose increasingly, because of Malfoy Inc., these types of bars and clubs started to thrive in wizarding London and they paid well. Abigail couldn't live with her meagre salary from the Ministry and so, when Ginny told her about the Hellfire Club hiring, she didn't have much choice. She had wanted to tell her Harry all of this, but the look of pity in his eyes had caused her mind to go blank.

_What must he think of me now? _

It suddenly struck her that she shouldn't care what Harry thought of her, as he was no longer a part of her life and besides, she was still angry with him for leaving her. That was much worse than working at a nightclub. The following hour past by slowly and the club finally started to empty itself, as the loud music stopped and the dance floor gave way to the stage. The few dozen of wizard and witches left were huddled around the glass tables, slouched on the couches and chairs, waiting for the live singing to start. Luke was still sitting on the plush red couch, sipping on his bright blue cocktail, although his friends had all left.

Abigail was still serving drinks behind the bar with Rebecca, staring at the far end corner where Harry and Dan sat, talking to Lupin. She silently wondered what the werewolf could possibly be saying to them at such a late hour.

**..~**~..**

* * *

"So, what happens now?" Dan asked Remus, sipping his Firewhiskey, whilst staring out at the spot lit stage.

Harry was sitting beside him, trying to flatten his hair over his scar but he was unsuccessful and quickly realised that many customers had already recognised him and were watching him intently.

"See that black box with all those buttons?" Remus asked, pointing at the device beside the stage. "Well, it's a Muggle music player. It's been charmed to pick up people's moods and feelings and choose a song accordingly."

Harry's ears perked up. "Isn't that illegal?"

"Yeah," he agreed, downing the rest of his drink, "but it's not doing any harm, it's only used for entertainment. Arthur tried to confiscate it once but the manager wouldn't let him and then Ginny finally convinced her dad to let the club keep it. She sings here sometimes, she's got a lot of talent and it's bound to get spotted too, if only she wasn't performing so late at night."

"Ginny can sing?" Harry asked with interest, whirling around to look at the stage. It was still empty. "I never knew."

Remus leaned back in his chair, grinning, as the youngest Weasley suddenly appeared out of a side door and approached the stage. She had changed into white trousers with a dazzling red top, which matched her flaming red hair.

"Oh yes, she's very good," he continued, watching her turn on the music player. "She knows all sorts of wizard and Muggle songs too, since she has to keep up with the machine."

He stopped and Harry watched in awe as the black box suddenly lit up and a beam of orange light shot up from it. The beam of light twirled on itself, before settling on a nearby witch, who stared back at Ginny eagerly. Casting a '_Sonorus_' charm on herself, Ginny began to sing as the soft music of an old Muggle song Harry recognised, filled the club.

Remus was right; Ginny was very good. Her voice was sweet and refreshing from the loud music Harry had heard before and he listened carefully to her until the end.

"Wow, that was brilliant!" Dan grinned, clapping along with the rest of the audience.

"Have the others heard her sing like that?" Harry asked Remus; who was applauding as well.

"Of course," he answered in a whisper, as the second song began. "Even Hermione has been here several times, although she hates this place, as its full of crooks most nights. Funny thing is –" he turned to look at Harry, frowning slightly, "we can't have her anywhere near the music player or it goes bonkers and starts playing a whole load of depressing songs – kills the atmosphere really."

Harry looked back at him in surprise. "Hermione? But, why?"

"Dunno," Remus said quietly, leaning closer towards him. "No one does, except for the girls."

His eyes then flicked across the room, to Abigail, who was standing behind the bar, cashing money in the till.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Abigail looked up from the red glass ashtray she was cleaning and saw Harry make his way through the room towards her. She groaned and fought down the urge to hide backstage, before he reached her. Ginny was still beautifully singing in the background, but every time the orange beam of light filled the room to choose the next song, Abigail had been careful enough to duck behind the bar and escape it picking her. She didn't want some stupid machine displaying her feelings in public, especially with Harry around.

He had reached the black and gold bar now and ruffled his messy black hair nervously with one hand.

"What do you want?" Abigail muttered before he could say anything, putting the ashtray down in front of her.

He gazed at her, smiling slyly. "Firewhiskey, G&T and Sex on the Beach."

A wicked glint crossed his eyes and Abigail rolled her eyes in response. "Fine, go sit back down, I'll bring the drinks over."

She turned away from him to pour a glass of Firewhiskey, but distinctly heard Harry click his tongue in annoyance.

"What, so that's it?" he asked, with a sharp edge to his voice. "You're always going to avoid talking to me from now on?"

She turned around slowly, raising her chin in defiance. "Yes and I have every right to do so."

"Well, I'm not okay with it!" Harry said loudly, causing an old man sitting at the bar to jump in surprise. Many curious eyes were staring at them, having recognised Harry Potter and realised that he was talking to another Defeater of Voldemort and his ex-girlfriend.

"This is not the time or place," Abigail whispered furiously, "and in case you hadn't already realised, I have work to do!"

She used her wand to conjure up the rest of the drinks, settled them on a tray and set off towards Lupin's table with them. However, she felt Harry's presence behind her and when she reached the table, he did not sit back down.

"Here you are," Abigail said with a faint smile, as she gave Lupin and Dan their drinks and settled the third one on the table.

"I'm not finished talking to you," she heard Harry say firmly behind her, "and I don't care if everyone's listening."

"Well I do!" she said fiercely, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. "Besides, there's nothing to talk about!"

"Oh yes, there is," he retorted, following her from table to table as she cleared away the empty ones, using her wand to lift the dirty glasses back to the bar.

"Look," Harry said softly, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to face him. "I don't want us to fight like this. I'm sorry for everything, I didn't mean to –"

"Great, you're sorry," she stated coldly, wrenching her arm out of his grasp, "because that fixes absolutely nothing!"

_Bloody git! Can't he just get back to his drink and leave me alone? _

She turned on her heel and made her way through the tables, suddenly spotting Luke again, sitting by himself. He was watching her face fixatedly.

"Hey Luke," she greeted him with a sweet smile, clearing all the empty bottles and glasses from his table. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"What are you doing with _him_?" he snapped, casting an icy glance back at Harry, who Abigail noticed with a dread feeling, was still watching her from afar.

"It's nothing," she said quickly, "Potter's just here with some friends. He was just saying hi."

Luke put his hands on her hips and pulled her towards him, making her stumble back on his lap. "Good," he told her, wrapping his arm roughly around her waist, "cause I was kinda hoping I'd be seeing you after work."

He kissed her on the cheek softly, trailing a path down to her neck, which sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. She ignored them, however, and tried to squirm herself out of his tight grip, but failed.

"Luke, I can't tonight, I'm tired. I've been up since eight this morning," she told him honestly, finally managing to break through his grip. "I'm sorry – I have to get back to work now."

She saw his jaw clench tight and his eyes narrowed at her slightly. She felt a chill pass over and as she turned to clear the last glass away, she felt his large hand clutch around her wrist. He was already standing up, towering over her.

"Who is it?" he asked firmly, as she stopped to look up at him. "Who else are you seeing tonight?"

Abigail paused, not knowing what to say. What the hell had got into him?

"What's wrong with you?" she asked confused, her smile faltering. "What do you care if I see someone else, I thought we were just having fun, remember? It's not like you're my –"

"Boyfriend?" he sneered, pulling her roughly against him. "No, but I deserve more honesty than that Abby! Besides, I don't really like sharing, you know. So, who are you doing tonight then? The famous Harry Potter? Another regular at the bar? Mike, perhaps? I saw you flirting with him the other night behind the bar; it was pitiful to watch. No wonder everyone thinks you're a whore!"

His words stung her where it hurt the most. She felt dazed for a second, wondering why he was suddenly saying all those nasty things to her but the feeling was quickly replaced with anger.

"That's not fair!" she snapped, trying to move away from him. "I haven't been with anyone else since I started seeing you and you know that! But you can't prevent me from talking to other guys."

"Like Potter, for example," he snarled, looking over her shoulder at him. "I'm not blind Abby, I saw the way you looked at him – and I thought you hated him!"

His fingers were clenched so tightly around her arm that his fingers dug into her skin.

"Luke, back off!" she warned him, her dark eyes flashing menacingly.

"Then you'd better tell me what's going on between you two!" he shouted at her.

Abigail heard several people around them gasp. Looking over her shoulder, she scanned the room, looking for the manager but he was nowhere to be seen. She really didn't want to harm Luke but she had to reason him before things got out of control. However, if she used her wand against him and the manager saw her, she was bound to get fired.

Luke was obviously the jealous type, something Abigail hadn't had time to realise yet since there was no reason for him to be until tonight apparently.

If she had known the night would hold so much drama, she would have stayed home. Seriously, what was wrong with these guys? Didn't they realise they could get her fired?

"Hey! She told you to back off!" a voice spoke up behind and Abigail felt her heart leap in her throat.

_Oh great!_

Luke let go of her immediately, anger etched in his face. Abby whirled around and saw Harry glaring back at Luke with surprising intensity. He was quite taller and broader than Luke and generally looked quite intimidating.

"Harry, drop it, I don't need your help," she said calmly, stepping up to him.

"Oh it's Harry now, is it?" spat Luke, his blue eyes glittering with anger, although he looked quite hesitant to get into a fight with the famous Boy Who Vanquished.

"That's none of your business," Harry said sharply.

Luke's face blanched and he took another daring step towards him. "I wasn't talking to you, Potter!"

He shoved Harry hard but, he barely took a step back. Abby's heart started pumping frantically in her chest and she glanced around once more, in panic, afraid the manager might see what was going on, but he was still nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe, but I don't like the way you were talking to her," Harry said coolly, shoving him back.

Their faces were barely a few inches away from each other and Abigail couldn't believe this was the second fight she was about to witness today. She pulled out her wand, just in case.

"Guys, stop it, you'll get me fired!" she whispered desperately, trying to give a reassuring smile to several witches at a nearby table, who watched the scene with interest.

"I'm only going to say this once Potter, " Luke hissed, his voice dropping lower. "Stay away from her."

He shoved him again but Harry stood his ground. "Walk away," he said fiercely. Abigail noticed his aura had flared up and was increasing in power with every second.

"Luke, please," Abby begged him, gripping his arm, "just drop it. Go home, you've had enough to drink. I promise I'll see you during the week."

She then kissed him briefly on the cheek, causing his eyes to flick away from Harry's and stare at her in mild surprise.

"Fine, I'll see you soon." He grabbed his jacket from his chair, threw yet another look of disgust at Harry and walked out of the club. Abigail pocketed her wand in an instant and fought down the urge to smack Harry.

"What the fuck were you playing at?" she hissed angrily, before turning back to the bar.

"Are you kidding me? He had no right to talk to you like that!" Harry cried out, following her footsteps.

"He was jealous and you only made matters worse," she retorted, quickening her pace.

"Jesus Christ Abby, open your eyes! I can't believe you're seeing a guy like him! He was treating you like shit!" Harry exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief.

"He's not my boyfriend," Abby admitted, a bit reluctantly. "He's just some guy I hang out with sometimes."

Harry fell silent. He had obviously understood the real meaning behind her words.

"Oh," he said, briefly taken aback. "And do you 'hang out with' a lot of guys?"

Abigail couldn't look in his eyes. She reached down, picking up another ashtray and nervously started to clean it. "Yeah – maybe –" she mumbled, putting the ashtray back down again. "Look, that's really none of your business!"

She stared back at him, feeling a chill pass over.

"You're right, sorry," he said apologetically, his green eyes boring into her own. "I guess I'm simply not used to seeing you with somebody else."

Her heart skipped when she realised what he had said. A long silence followed.

"Harry," she began in a whisper, staring helplessly at him. "Merlin's sake, what do you want from me?"

But before he could answer her, a beam of orange light hit her in the face and a new song suddenly began to play in the background. Abigail looked up at Ginny in protest, who stared back in surprise, shrugged and then began to sing the lyrics.

_How can I just let you walk away_

_Just let you leave without a trace_

_When I stand here taking _

_Every breath with you_

_You're the only one _

_Who really knew me at all_

Harry's mouth sagged open in shock. Abigail felt her cheeks flush red with embarrassment. She could feel everyone's eyes on her and hear them whispering amongst themselves, they had all seen the orange light beam hit her. They all knew the song was about her. _Stupid fucking machine!_

_So take a look at me now_

_'Cause there's just an empty space_

_And there's nothing left here to remind me_

_Just the memory of your face_

_So take a look at me now_

_Oh there's just an empty face_

_And you coming back to me is against the odds_

_And that's what I've got to face_

"I hate that song," Abigail muttered unconvincingly and then turned to flee, walking hurriedly out from behind the bar and through the backstage door. She reached Ginny's dressing-room and had barely slammed the door shut, that it flew wide open again.

"You're not allowed in here," she hissed at Harry, turning her back to him, but he didn't listen to her.

"Is that really how you feel?" he demanded.

"What? - No!"

"Stop lying!"

"Then stop asking stupid questions!" she screamed back, whirling around to face him. He looked taken aback for a second, but then his face looked set and determined.

"Yes, I blamed myself for your leaving, okay?" her voice cracked as she shook her head. "Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I blamed myself for everything that happened. But in the end, you're the one who took off without saying goodbye, so it wasn't just my fault. Trust me, that's all of it, there's nothing else for me to say to you!"

"Say you forgive me," he replied with urge, his green eyes fixed on her face.

"What? You've barely even said sorry!" she cried back, anger rising off her in shimmering waves.

"Well, I am sorry and you know it!"

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him.

"None of it was your fault, Abby! I had already made my decision that day in Hogsmeade. I had already gone to see Dumbledore to sort it all out and leave without anyone noticing. I wanted to do something with my life, something worthwhile, by myself, but I am truly sorry that we had an argument that day. I never meant for it to happen."

He paused, with the oddest sort of expression in his eyes.

"Believe me, I haven't felt more sorry over anything else in my life. You're the only thing I'd ever been so sure about in my life and still I let you go. Not only that, but I hurt you in the process – badly and I am sorry. I know I made you suffer more than you ever deserved and if I could go back in time, I'd make it all up to you, I would have explained everything clearly for you, but it's much too late. I'm so sorry, Abby, I never meant to hurt you, I swear! I just hope you can forgive me with time but please – whatever you feel right now – please don't hate me."

Every apology that slipped from his mouth, each heartfelt word made her feel weak and crumbled her stubbornness and resolve. At the same time, she felt her heart bleed again, as though her old wounds had suddenly re-opened.

His green eyes begged her to forgive him, but she shut her own in pain.

"Was it worth it?" she whispered, her ears ringing with anger and hurt. "If I was indeed the only thing you've ever been sure about in your life, then was it worth abandoning me for – for Quidditch or Merlin knows what?"

He flinched at her words but did not answer straight away. A short silence followed before he spoke up again. His voice was barely a murmur.

"I don't know."

Abigail felt something inside of her shrink and she tore her gaze from him, as tears began to prickle her eyes.

"I have to get back to work," she said quietly and quickly rushed past him and out of the changing room. She rushed back out into the club and went to go back behind the bar to serve drinks. The song had ended and everywhere, people were applauding Ginny for her performance.

Abigail looked up and as her eyes fell upon a distant table, she halted. Lounging comfortably around a corner table, watching the stage mildly, sat four middle-aged wizards, in long black robes. She recognised them instantly; they were Death Eaters. Lupin had spotted them too and as Abigail's gaze crossed his, she saw him shake his head very slightly. He thought that they had probably come in looking for trouble, but she knew for sure that they had been sent by Malfoy to spy on her. They had been following her around for a few days now and each time she had managed to ditch them before apparating back to Hermione's flat.

Abby spun around back to the bar and spotted Rebecca, talking to a customer.

"When did those four men arrive?" she asked her vaguely, pretending to look for napkins.

Rebecca looked up at them. "About 5 minutes ago."

"What did they order?"

"Four Firewhiskeys," she answered, pointing to the tray next to her, loaded with drinks. "I was just about to –"

"Don't worry, I'll do it," Abigail told her and she quickly snatched up the tray and left for the table.

She passed Harry on her way to the tables, who was watching the foursome intently too. Their previous conversation had been forgotten by the sudden appearance of the four Death Eaters.

"Dolohov," Harry sneered with narrowed eyes.

"Don't do anything," she hissed at him, stopping briefly next to him. "They have every right to be here, they're consuming."

"If you need me, I'll more than willingly help them find their way out," he continued, still staring at the table.

"No!" she repeated fiercely. "Stay out of this, Harry! I'm warning you, whatever happens, _don't get involved!_"

He looked back at her surprised. "They're Death Eaters," he said astonished. "You should throw them out!"

Abigail looked away, feeling her cheeks burn slightly. "They're friends with the manager. If I do anything, I'll get fired and I can't afford to lose my job," she told him, reluctantly. "I have to pay my share of Hermione's rent next week."

She watched his frozen expression out of the corner of her eye, before setting off again to the table, still holding the drinks.

"Good evening gentlemen," she greeted them, sarcasm in her voice, as she set their drinks down before them. "Would you care to explain what you're doing here?"

Dolohov, Mulciber and two other men, Abigail didn't recognise, looked up at her with cold smiles on their faces.

"Oh no, Miss Serpent, " Antonin Dolohov spoke up icily, now twirling his drink in his hand. "I'm afraid that won't do. You see, unless I'm mistaken, we are all Lords at this table and thus, you must greet us accordingly."

He stared back at her expectantly and she clenched her teeth in anger.

"Good evening, my _Lords_," she hissed.

"Good girl," he drawled, sneering at her. "I'm sure you would have expected the same treatment as Lady Serpent, if only you hadn't been – disowned."

"Go to hell," she cursed under her breath, as the other three laughed nastily at his words.

She turned on her heel to return to the bar, decided to let them be, since her shift was nearly over, but distinctly heard a glass smash against the hard marble floor.

"Oops," Dolohov said maliciously and Abigail wheeled around, taking out her wand to clean up the mess on the floor.

"Listen closely Serpent," Mulciber growled beside her as she bent down to clean up. "Our leader has a message for you: meet him tomorrow night at the usual place or there'll be hell to pay!"

With a flick of her wand, the glass and drink vanished and Abigail then quickly stood up.

"And I say, the deal is off! So you can tell your master," she snapped, anger coursing through her veins, "that he can take his message and shove it up his –"

"Not so fast, Serpent," Dolohov hissed, glowering at her this time. "You cannot break the deal so easily, your family code states that –"

"As you have already been so kind to remind us all, I have been disowned by my family, therefore the Serpent Code no longer applies to me," she lied convincingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nice try," he said and then grinned. "Mark my words missy, once your powers begin to leave you, you'll quickly start singing a different tune. You'll be begging to help our side again to restore your magic and when that day comes, I very much doubt that our leader will be so – generous."

Abigail blanched. Dolohov was right, if she didn't remain neutral to the war, then her powers would soon start to fade. But she would find a way to prevent from happening, she would find a loophole in the code, she simply had to. She fought down the increasing feeling of panic, mounting in her chest and forced her face to remain passive. She couldn't show them any fear or they would see right through her.

Finally, she turned to stare at them menacingly, one by one, a wicked brilliance to her dark eyes, successfully managing to wipe the smirks off their faces. She paused on Dolohov and her lips curved as his eyes flicked away from her icy stare.

"Well then,' she spoke up, her voice very flat, very cold and very final. "I think it's time to end this war once and for all while I still can."

And with those final words, she walked away and went back to work.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Oh, don't you just love all the tension? I love it when Order members and Death Eaters start threatening each other, its so exciting! Well, obviously there's a lot of fighting in this scene, I thought it was necessary to relieve Abigail's anger a little on Harry and physical violence was also requested by some of you :) There's also a bit more explanation about Harry's mysterious disappearance and you finally get to see the Hellfire Club, yay! (Any X-Men fans out there?)**

**Next chapter: Draco gets in a fury and Hermione helps him out. I haven't really planned it yet, so can't say anymore. Sorry!**

**Lots happens in this chapter and whether you think it was great or generally sucked – PLEASE REVIEW! **


	10. Letter

**Author's Notes: Well it's been quite some time, huh? Fortunately, I have an extra long chapter for you guys. Thank you all so much for reviewing the last one and once I post this, I will thank you all personally.**

**Right, down to business: this chapter is Draco's POV. In short, we find out more about the Orb, Abigail visits and finds out more than she intended, trouble is brewing up between the DE and the Order and Draco finds himself in quite a mess and who does he turn to for help? Why Hermione of course!**

**I also wanted to say a big thank you to xOxOkIsSmYaSsXoXo, May, Nora, Seghen and rabsectumsepra, who I couldn't write back to. If you guys leave your email address next time, I will get back to you in future.**

**Happy reading everybody!**

******..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

"She _threatened_ you!"

Draco stood up so abruptly from the breakfast table that the two idiots before him started.

"She actually threatened you?" he scoffed, surprise etched on his handsome face.

Seeing Dolohov and Mulciber exchange a significant look, Draco suddenly realised his sudden outburst and forced himself to calm down and recover his cool demeanour.

"I hope you realised that she was merely putting on an act," he continued silkily, his cloudy grey eyes boring into their shifty ones.

"We preferred not to risk it," Dolohov said defensively.

"Fine. What else did she say?" he asked impatiently, staring down his nose at them.

"Nothing milord," Dolohov muttered. "Potter was there and you told us not to -"

"I know perfectly well what I told you about Potter, Dolohov! In return, please tell me you still followed Abigail Serpent home and didn't flee like a pair of schoolgirls before her empty threats and the sight of that half-blood idiot!"

Mulciber's fists clenched tighter. "No, my Lord," he said, trying desperately to control his temper.

He certainly remembered the times Death Eaters had crossed their leader before or even shouted at him and what had happened next. It had not been pretty and Draco couldn't help but smile at those memories.

"We left the bar and hid outside waiting for her," Dolohov quickly explained. He was always the more intelligent out of the two. "When she came out, we placed a locating charm on her. We were lucky, she wasn't – er – sober enough to notice this time. She then apparated away and we managed to discover her whereabouts, but the anti-Apparition wards and Unplottable spells made it impossible to pinpoint her location."

Draco's ears perked up. "Where is she then?"

"Somewhere in Hogsmeade, milord."

For the first time that day, Draco's lips began to curve into a smile.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Moments later, having called in half a dozen Death Eaters and then ordered them to patrol around Hogsmeade in search for Abigail, Draco finished his morning meal. He hoped to spend the rest of the day in the Malfoy library to continue his investigation on the Orb of Hope.

Downing his cup of black coffee, he left the dining hall, walking hurriedly down the corridor towards the library. He still hadn't learnt much about the Orb, except that it deceptively gave hope to whoever peered inside it. He had used his contacts with both British and foreign Ministry to retrieve as much information as possible about the Orb, but it seemed that all the relevant books were already shelved in his own library. They all told the same story about a terrible and dark secret held within the Orb itself, but none of the ancient books, not even the most horrible and gruesome books, that Lucius had blackmailed and killed to get hold of, could tell him more about that secret.

Everything he had found, apart from a brief description of the Orb and its double name, came from '_Ancient Magical Orbs and Their Secrets_'. He hadn't even found the book on the library shelves, but instead, it had been locked away in a highly protected hidden cabinet, underneath the windowsill, where the most dangerous books were kept. After lifting several wards and hexes, Draco had carefully retrieved the book from its emplacement and proceeded to flip through it, reading a page every so often, which mentioned the Orb, until he had finally stumbled upon much more -

" - _The Orb of Eris, named after the Greek goddess of chaos and discord and falsely called the Orb of Hope, is claimed to have been created from the Golden Apple, which caused the greatest strife among the Olympian Gods and ultimately led to the Trojan War. Its history is unknown, but most believe that Merlin himself possessed and used the Orb before attempting to destroy it. Whether He did so or not, it is not clear but in His 'Memoirs', He warns His descendants against a certain 'Dark Orb', which holds a secret spell within it. Merlin gave no details of the spell and no book has been found so far describing it. However, according to ancient Greek tales and legends passed down through generations, talk of the Orb of Eris and the spell hidden within, which when released shall 'change the world as we know it'. The current location of the Orb is unknown and whether or not it has already been destroyed, time can only…'_

Whether the Zabinis had possessed the true Orb of Eris or not, Draco could not tell, but Blaise had been fervent on getting the object back and his father definitely seemed to know more about its secret than he had let on.

Draco frowned, as he paced on.

_This is definitely not a good sign. That scheming bastard Zabini was probably plotting behind my back and Blaise must have known this as well -_

Draco was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts as he heard distant shouting. No one else was at the manor with him, even his mother was away for the week and the house-elves would never have dared make so much noise. Pulling out his wand, he stepped closer to the room where the voices were coming from – his own study.

How was it possible? The study doors did not let anyone without his permission - unless, someone had apparated from within, but that was impossible! The only person who could potentially do that was Abigail.

Draco approached the doors more cautiously, pointing his wand of the handles.

_Surely she isn't that stupid? After all the warnings I've given her and the efforts I've made to find her, surely she doesn't think that she can still apparate here and then walk out freely!_

He flung the doors open with his wand and entered his study.

He had guessed correctly.

Abigail Serpent was indeed standing in front of the tall fireplace, wearing a white Muggle trench coat and jeans, her face flushed with anger as she glared up at a portrait of Malfoy's great great great grand uncle, sitting over the mantelpiece.

Draco's dark mood immediately lightened at the prospect of finally holding her in his clutches. Abigail, on the other hand, looked furious.

"I am not one of his whores, you stupid old man! I only came here to speak with Malfoy, NOT shag him!"

The tall slender old man sitting in the portrait, sneered down upon her in disgust. "And a foul-mouthed Mudblood wench at that!"

"You should be watching your own tongue! I am head of the Serpent family, you repugnant foolish –"

"Filthy Muggle-loving whorish –"

"That is enough, Octavius," Draco stated sharply, silencing the portrait at once. "My, my Abigail, aren't we feisty this morning?"

With a flick of his wand, the doors shut behind him and the anti-Apparition wards strengthened. Draco knew better than to cast an anti-Apparition spell on her directly, since her family shield constantly protected her.

She whirled around to face him. "Your great, great – whatever the hell he is - mistook me for some common slut! He started insulting me the moment my feet touched the ground!" she shouted back, pointing at the portrait as her dark eyes flashed with anger. "Merlin! As if I wasn't already having a shitty morning! And Draco, I really don't see why you bother with those anti-Apparition wards, you still won't be able to –"

But the moment the words came out of her mouth, her face blanched abruptly and she swayed dangerously, falling to her knees.

"Won't I?" Draco replied in a metallic and deceptively sweet voice, as he circled around her, whilst tapping his wand against his cheek thoughtfully. "Really Abigail, I would have thought you would have taken my threats more seriously, but that's all the better for me. So, let me guess – did you apparate here?"

She nodded slowly, loosening up her coat as she drew in deep breaths.

"And you didn't even bother to check my new security wards before Apparating?"

She didn't answer.

"Much tougher to crack, aren't they?" he drawled, savouring watching her squirm at his feet. "I believe Hogwarts castle itself doesn't have as powerful wards as mine. They're newly developed of course, only put them up last week."

She gritted her teeth in response and tried to push herself off the ground in vain.

"Merlin, you are in a dreadful state," he commented, enjoying the show. "Were the wards too much to handle perhaps? It certainly seems as though the great Serpent power has met its match – or has it started to desert you?"

He gave a dry laugh and her head snapped up, rage etched in her face.

"Sod off!" she hissed, sitting herself up. "I was merely caught by surprise."

"So I see," he said, turning his back to her as he sat down in the nearest armchair and conjured a large glass of elfish wine with his wand. "Now, why don't you tell me why you made the obvious mistake of apparating to my home. Have you finally come to your senses and decided to continue paying your debt?"

"Quite the opposite," she said, drawing a ragged breath and standing back up on her feet. "I am here to tell you once and for all to leave me alone. The deal is off, I don't care what the consequences are, I will not be helping you out anymore, and if I see another Death Eater tagging me again, I'll make sure they end up straight to Azkaban! You got that?"

She stepped slightly to the left and reached out for his desk for support.

He looked up amused. "Oh yes, they told me about your threats."

"Seriously Malfoy, I'm fed up of being followed night and day! I mean it this time, if you –"

But she halted as her eyes caught sight of a parchment on his desk with the Serpent seal on it. Draco narrowed his eyes, he hadn't meant for her to see it, but it was too late.

"What's this?" she asked softly, opening up for the parchment to read, her face paling as her eyes took in its meaning.

He took another sip of wine. "Your father sent it the day before last. I believe it's a marriage contract."

Abigail looked as if her jaw were hanging off its hinges. "_A ma - marriage contract_?"

Her hands suddenly gripped the parchment tighter as her eyes continued to dart down the sheet. "What? He's actually serious about this?"

Draco shrugged. "Yes, your father's keen to find someone who'll keep you in line. However, they are still a few points I disagree on."

Her eyes flew up to meet his. "Are you out of your mind? You want to marry me? But why?"

Her reaction was unsurprising, but nonetheless, Draco couldn't help but laugh at her. "Merlin Abigail, haven't you learnt anything these past few years? Don't you understand that all that matters for me now is power? If I marry within the Serpent bloodline then undoubtedly, I will have access to the Serpent books!"

She opened her mouth to protest, but he beat her to it.

"Don't even try to deny that the books aren't gone! I know for a fact that you've been rewriting them, tome by tome, ever since they were burnt," he sneered, standing up after getting rid of his glass and pocketing his wand. The magic within the study protected him against most curses and Abigail still seemed too weak to try and hex him.

"I know you wouldn't want all that knowledge not to be passed on if something happened to you. I also know that you write them in Dumbledore's office during your regular visits to Hogwarts. "

Her dark eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. "I don't believe it," she told him coldly, staring back at the parchment. "My father never liked arranged marriages before. You must have done something to change his mind."

"Your father has very poorly managed the Serpent business these past years," Draco explained, stepping behind his desk to sit in his high-back chair. "His business partners haven't favoured him and he was forced to sell property in order to keep up with his luxurious lifestyle."

Her eyes snapped open at his words. "Unless he seals a pact with another wealthy Pureblood line either by remarrying or arranging your marriage – the Serpent family will be in ruins."

"Property?" she echoed incredulous. "What property? He's not allowed to sell anything without my consent. Malfoy, what has he sold?"

"A few manors, a dragon keep in Albania and a Pegasus farm in Wales," he answered truthfully.

"He sold the Wyvern farm!" she muttered outraged to herself. "But what about James? He has nowhere else to go! How could Father do that to him?" Her eyes flicked back up to him. "Do you know who bought the farm?"

Draco regarded her calmly, his stormy gray eyes sparkling with malice. "Why yes, I did. Malfoy Inc. bought most of the properties your father happened to sell."

Abigail's face contorted in anger. He could feel her wrath rising off her in shimmering waves.

"And these _business_ _partners_, who forced him to sell?" she asked him, her voice shaking as she struggled to control her temper. "Do you know who these people are?"

Draco watched her with a vicious smile on his face. "Well yes, that would also be me."

It was the last straw and he knew it.

"You fucking creep!" she shrieked, grabbing hold of an expensive porcelain vase on his desk and hurtling it against the opposite wall. "You bastard! Why do you have a make everyone's life so miserable?"

"That'll cost you Abby," Draco said snidely, examining the broken shards of vase.

"You can ruin my family business all you want, I am not marrying you!" she continued, getting hold of the contract and ripping it to shreds. "I'm only twenty years old for fuck's sake and I refuse to get married!"

"Yes, well you don't have much say in that," he drawled, leaning back in his chair.

Her eyes blazed with fury. "Yes I do! I have to sign the contract as well, it's my right as a Serpent, even my father can't overrule that!"

Now, she was really starting to get on Draco's nerves. "The Imperius curse can quickly arrange that matter," he said icily.

Instantly, she whipped out her wand before he could react. "I'd like to see you try," she said dangerously.

At that precise moment, one of the house elves apparated inside the study and seeing the two wizards at wand point, it stepped back in fright.

"What is it, Speck?" Draco growled, keeping his gaze on Abigail.

"Mm – Master, you have a visitor," it squeaked, covering its large brown eyes with its hands in fear. Apparently, seeing its troubled state, Abigail took pity on it, because she slowly lowered her wand.

"I'll be there in a minute," Draco said and it disappeared with a pop.

"I'll go see who it is," he continued, standing up and making his way to the door. "Stay here, you won't be able to leave the study anyway as the doors will be locked. This conversation isn't over yet."

"I've got nothing more to discuss with you," she told him gravely, having controlled her temper again.

She paused, suddenly regarding him calmly.

"You know, we were supposed to be friends Malfoy. I've seen the good side of you at Hogwarts and since then, even after you became their leader, I always thought of you as someone I could trust. You've helped me a few times - hell, you've even saved my life! But now - you've crossed a line Malfoy and you can trick me all you want, I will never ever teach you my magic again!"

His head whipped around and he cast her an incredulous glance.

"You thought we were friends?" he asked sardonically.

She held his gaze, with the oddest sort of expression on her face. He knew his words had struck a nerve.

"Then you're an idiot,' he finished, swiftly shutting the door behind him.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Once the door was locked, Abigail instantly pocketed her wand and swept behind the study desk, rummaging through Malfoy's papers.

_No Malfoy, you're the idiot._

Hopefully, she'd be able to get hold of some parchment or letter indicting him of dealing with the Dark Arts or Death Eaters.

She hated it when he took that annoying superior tone with her – as if he knew something she didn't or as if she were merely a means to his end, like that stupid marriage arrangement. Of course, their relationship had been strictly business really when they met in secret and she taught him new spells, because, after all, they were on opposite sides, but hadn't there been some non-spoken agreement that underneath all that mess, they were actually friends?

Abigail wasn't stupid, she knew perfectly well that Draco had always secretly looked out for her over the years, even though he would never admit to it. For example, she knew he had used his contacts to get her a job at the Ministry, after she had told him that her interview with her head of Department hadn't gone very well and she knew he had been the reason why Blaise was mostly absent each time she had a meeting with him at Malfoy Manor. It had all been Draco's doing and he hadn't only been protective of her, Abigail knew for a fact that he had looked out for Hermione as well.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she managed to open the top drawer with her wand and found the type of incriminating evidence she was looking for. A letter from Dante, the vampire who had attacked the wizarding village near Nott castle, swearing allegiance to Malfoy and awaiting his next orders.

_Perfect, it's even written in blood!_

She estimated she only had a few minutes left before Malfoy came charging back in the room. She had to leave right away, but there was the slight problem of disapparating from the heavily warded manor. Of course, the wards might have been incredibly strong, but they were not impossible to by pass. Abigail had indeed felt rather faint after apparating inside, but she had exaggerated the rest in front of Malfoy, in order to lure him into a false sense of security.

Unfortunately, he hadn't told her anything of great importance about his Death Eater plans, but at least now she knew the whole backstory behind her father's need to arrange a marriage for her. She couldn't believe Malfoy was considering the marriage, much less forcing her father to sell Serpent property behind her back.

She felt so – betrayed!

Gathering her thoughts, she removed her family protective shield with her wand in order to use all her powers to disapparate away.

_Merlin, this is going to hurt like a bitch!_

**..~**~..**

* * *

Arriving in the entrance hall, Draco saw Blaise Zabini pacing the cold white marble floor back and forth.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked at once. "Whatever it is, you should have sent an owl, I've got something very important to take care of right now –"

Blaise's head snapped up to him. "There's a problem with a new recruit - Smith. He's been caught using a Ministry fireplace to contact the Order."

Draco's eyes became cold at once. "Are you sure of this?"

"Yes."

Turning on his heel, Draco led Blaise out of the entrance hall, towards a nearby drawing room, away from any possible prying. It wasn't safe, even in his own house. He closed and silenced the doors instantly before whirling upon his friend.

"Tell me everything," he ordered, sitting down in a leather armchair.

Blaise remained standing. "Smith was recruited by Lestrange a couple of months ago. He's been spying for us at the Department of Mysteries ever since. He's Ravenclaw, Pureblood obviously, fresh out of Hogwarts and highly impressionable. Lestrange assured me he was the best to recruit for Ministry spying, but Jugson and McGregor's imprisonment must have rattled him. Rookwood overheard him contacting the Order and asking to meet with them. He waited for Smith to be finished, stunned him and portkeyed him back to Lestrange. They have him now, our not-so-brave recruit owned up to everything immediately."

"When's the meeting with the Order planned?" Draco asked, his mind running wildly with endless possibilities.

"Tomorrow night, 10pm, in Muggle London."

Draco looked up at him suddenly and smirked. "Then this is our chance. The Order will send a team, they can't risk losing such valuable information, but they also can't risk sending someone alone. They have to be sure the information is correct and that it isn't just a trap. Make sure Smith goes, under the Imperius curse of course. You'll take charge of the mission, but only take a small number with you. I don't want any fighting, capture as many as you can and then portkey straight back to Lestrange castle."

Blaise furrowed his brow, confused. "You're not coming?"

"I'm heading out to Italy tomorrow to meet Don Carlo, the Minister," Draco informed him impatiently. "I told you so last week. But I'll be back in time to interrogate the prisoners."

He paused, his eyes casting an icy glance at the dark-haired merciless man before him.

"Do what's necessary, but I want them alive, Zabini!"

His words wiped the smirk off the Death Eater's face, but his piercing blue eyes were still dancing. Draco didn't like the inner glint burning in his friend's eyes each time he put him in power.

"Whatever you wish, milord."

**..~**~..**

* * *

Returning to his study, Draco unlocked the doors with a wave of his hand and stepped inside. Once his silver gray eyes took in the empty room and mess of documents strewn across his desk, he instantly realised what had happened.

In two quick strides, he crossed the room to his desk and quickly skimmed through his drawers, trying to figure out what Abigail had taken. Searching more thoroughly through his top drawer, he stopped as he realised Dante's letter of oath was missing.

Draco froze several long seconds, as the consequences of Abigail's theft slowly sank into his mind and finally it hit him – hard. It felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

_Fuck!_

Thrusting the drawer shut roughly, he then proceeded in flinging everything off his desk as a wave of fury overtook him.

He kicked his desk several times as hard as he could for his utter stupidity. It didn't help in terms of pain, but it relieved his anger.

Finally, grabbing the only remaining item on his desk, a small basilisk shaped paperweight, he flung it across the room with all his might, straight into the opposite window.

"SHIT!"

Breathing heavily, he froze again, his mind reeling with thoughts. What the hell was he going to do?

If the letter ever reached the Ministry, he was a dead man. The letter was _literally_ a bloody oath from the vampires, swearing loyalty to him. Not only that, but it was also proved that Draco was the Death Eaters' leader!

And then, his brains started working again.

He had to stop Abigail. There was no point trying to get the letter back, that would only lead him on a wild goose chase, but he had to attack back – or even better, attack her, personally – discredit her.

Gathering his ideas, Draco grabbed his black cloak off his chair and set off to apparate to wizarding London.

It was time to pay a visit to his good friend Theodore Nott, chief editor of the Daily Prophet and fellow Death Eater.

**..~**~..**

* * *

As the sun began to set, Draco leaned back in his high-back leather chair in his office at Malfoy Inc. He had set his plan in motion and now, all that was left to do, was plan a strong defence in case Abigail ever did hand in the letter as evidence against him in his upcoming trial.

He needed some cunning idea, he needed some infallible strategy, or more likely a bloody miracle, he needed –

Granger!

But he hadn't seen her since the night when she had discovered his pensieve and cried in his arms. He still wasn't sure how he felt about it, he had tried not to think about the incident and detach himself from her from fear of reviving his old feelings. Hell, why was he even thinking about the past? Granger no longer meant anything to him, she was his lawyer for the time being and that was all. He had only engaged her because she was the best and because her accusations had become unnerving and had to be dealt with.

Doubting she would still be in her office this late in the afternoon, he asked his secretary, just as she was leaving, to call Granger up, just in case.

Ten minutes later, he was surprised when he heard a soft knocking on his door and the bushy-haired witch stepped inside. She was wearing dark navy robes, which brought out her pale complexion and rosy cheeks. Her long curly brown hair was firmly held back from her face with a silver hairclip, which sparkled in the light. Her robes fell down the length of her body, only slightly accentuating her curves and as she stepped closer, holding a yellow file in one hand and a quill in the other, whilst making notes and muttering to herself, Draco couldn't help but gaze at her natural beauty.

"You wanted to see me Malfoy," she finally asked him, keeping her eyes on the file.

"Yes," he answered, standing up and making his way towards her. "I need you to help me with something."

She looked up at him sharply, her shoulder tensing slightly. "In case you hadn't already noticed, I am helping you! I do not travel here every morning to play crosswords or make coffee. No, in fact the reason why I work my ass off everyday in this sordid place is to help you with your bloody trial and –"

"Yes, thank you Granger," he interrupted impatiently, "however, this concerns the trial and since your contract stipulates that you must help me with anything that might affect it, I thought it best to explain to you, in person, this sudden turn of events. Trust me, this is something bigger than all those petty complaints you've been dealing with."

His voice had started to waver with anxiety and Draco broke off, stepping to his liquor cabinet to pour himself a strong dose of Firewhiskey. Granger, who annoyingly enough hadn't seemed to register the severity of the problem, sighed heavily and returned to the file in hand.

"Malfoy, if someone's caught you torturing a poor Muggle, whilst wearing Death Eater robes and mask, then there's really not much that I can do –"

"No, but this is just as bad!" he told her coldly, downing his drink rapidly. "Now put your damn file down and listen to me."

She looked up at him alarmed, blinked once and obliged, settling herself down on the leather couch. Draco poured himself another drink. After offering her a glass, which she declined, he followed suit and sat down opposite her.

"What I'm about to tell you Granger does not leave this room. Understood?"

"I took an oath Malfoy when I became Ministry official," she explained, regarding him calmly. "I'm not allowed to divulge my clients' secrets."

He nodded, his stormy grey eyes finally meeting her own steady ones.

"Your damn cousin stole a letter of mine this afternoon, which incriminates me," he finally admitted, taking a gulp from his glass. "I've already taken necessary measures, but if this ever reached the Ministry, then I want to know what I'm facing, although I've already got a pretty good idea, and I want to know what we can do about it."

Her eyes snapped up at him, although they didn't betray any emotion. Draco, no longer standing her intense gaze, drew out his cigarette case from an inside pocket of his robes and lit one up.

"Since when do you smoke?" she asked sharply.

"Since when do you care?" he answered on the beat, exhaling a puff of smoke.

She snorted in return. "You do know those things will kill you, don't you?"

"Yes, but fortunately I know a spell to counter its toxic effects."

Her eyes widened at his sudden revelation, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Good, can we finally come back to my case now?" he sneered, taking another drag. "I'd like to get home sometime before midnight you know."

Her face darkened instantly upon hearing his words, but before she could retort, Draco continued.

"First of all, I'm guessing you'll need to know what exactly was stolen from me."

"No, first of all, I want to know what you meant by necessary measures," she said sharply.

He shrugged, taking another gulp of whiskey. "Nothing too drastic, I simply released some information of my own. You can read about it all in tomorrow's issue of the Daily Prophet. Anyhow, whatever measures I've taken won't be good enough if this letter ever shows up in the trial. I'm going to need a pretty damn good defence or a very strong alibi to get me through this."

"If you say so," she finally spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest, "but you still haven't told me about this letter."

He smirked, briefly remembering her reaction to the vampire attack. She would hate him even more after this.

"It's a letter from the new leader of the vampires, some horrible blood-sucker called Dante -"

As predicted, she gasped as she heard the familiar name.

"- in it, he swears loyalty to me or some crap like that. Oh and, he also wrote the letter in blood."

She goggled at him in horror. "Jesus Christ Malfoy! An oath from Dante and his clan? What the hell were you thinking? I don't even want to know what you did for him in return, but seriously, why on earth did you keep a letter like that? Didn't you even stop and think about destroying such an important piece of evidence -"

"Damn it Granger, now is not the time for your lecturing!" he growled, stabbing his cigarette out angrily. He could feel his blood begin to pump in his ears. "It's not as if I asked for their fucking loyalty in the first place! That letter just arrived one morning with the rest of the mail and I hardly knew what to make of it. And whether you believe me or not, I did not leave it to lie around, I put it away in my desk, somewhere perfectly well-guarded, but somehow, that damned bitch got past all the spells and hexes!"

"And she stole it," Granger added flatly, suddenly seeming lost in thought. He watched her, as she suddenly bit her lower lip and furrowed her brows. Somehow, it calmed him to know that she was already thinking of ways to help him.

Finally, she shook her head and her soft brown eyes focused on him again. "I still need you to explain to me what Abigail was doing at Malfoy Manor. You two are enemies Malfoy, you really shouldn't have invited her to your house in the first place. That was just tempting fate, don't you think?"

Draco gritted his teeth in response. He'd have to lie to her. "I didn't invite her Granger, believe me, I never wanted her to set foot in my manor, but she invited herself. Her father sent me a marriage contract and when she found out about it, she apparated straight to me, furious, and –".

"What? A marriage contract?" Granger blurted out, her mouth falling open.

"Yes, you know, she has to get married in a few years time or else the Serpent leadership gets passed on," he explained impatiently. "But, don't you know about this already?"

"No – God, no – she never told me, she never told anyone. Oh God, why is her father arranging a marriage with you?"

Downing the rest of his drink, Draco expelled a very weary breath. "Granger, stop changing the subject! This is neither the place nor the time. An important document has been stolen from me and I might spend the next ten years in Azkaban because of it! So excuse me if the inner workings of the Serpent family is the least of my concerns!"

He pulled out another cigarette and lit it, trying to calm his nerves down. Damn, this was bad. Even Granger seemed to have turned slightly pale and if they couldn't find a way to prove his innocence in the trial, then he shuddered to think what would become of him.

She started to wring her hands before she spoke up again. "I'm sorry to correct you on this," she began softly, avoiding his sudden confused gaze. "But this is worse than you think. I mean, complaints are one thing, you'd only risk a heavy fine and maybe a few months in Azkaban."

Malfoy froze as he suddenly paid closer attention to her heavy words.

"But if the Ministry ever got hold of that letter," she continued, licking her lips in anguish, "then not only is that a direct link between you and Dante, but the Aurors will also quickly realise that they're dealing with the new leader of the Death Eaters - I'd like to say that you'll only be charged with a lifetime imprisonment in Azkaban, but –"

She paused, uncertain whether she should carry on or not. Draco's silver gaze remained fixed upon her face. He couldn't blink – he couldn't even breathe.

"Well, I'm guessing you heard about the Ministry re-instating Dementors at Azkaban Fortress," she continued softly, trying to keep her voice steady, whilst her eyes searched for a hint of emotion in his face.

Draco felt as though his insides had just melted. He tried to remain indifferent, but he doubted he was doing a very good job. _Fuck, Dementors!_ He had even supported the decision of re-instating them several months ago. It was the only solution the Ministry had found to keep the prison under control. If only he'd known…

"If they ever found out Malfoy," she continued heavily, "they will probably sentence you to the Dementor's kiss. They'll want to make an example of you, especially since the Ministry's furious that so many Death Eaters are still on the loose, causing havoc after all these years."

Draco suddenly jerked forwards to stab the cigarette out, which had started to burn his fingers. He felt very faint all of a sudden and decided to get another drink.

Merlin, this was bad. Very bad. Of course, he could flee and hide before the Ministry could get to him, if his case wasn't strong enough, but what kind of life would he have then? He'd probably have to exile from Europe no less, or worse, live among Muggles to escape the Ministry's Aurors.

He stood up quickly and turned his back on Granger, who was watching him intently, waiting for his reaction. As he neared the liquor cabinet again, he heard her shuffle uncomfortably behind him.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, waiting for him to say something.

He turned around to face her and unexpectedly; he smirked. "Well, isn't that what you wanted after all? To finally prove that I was leading the Death Eaters, organising the attacks? I'm sure this suits you just fine, doesn't it Granger? Evil Malfoy getting what he deserves, receiving the Dementor's kiss –"

"No!" she cried out, standing to her feet too. "I would never wish that on anybody. I wouldn't wish for anyone to have his or her soul sucked out, that's worse than death!"

"So I was told," he muttered dryly. He downed his drink in one gulp, but it hardly seemed to soothe his nerves. It certainly seemed to have paralysed his mind, although his hands had suddenly started to shake uncontrollably.

He was fucked. He was utterly and completely screwed over. That damned letter had owned him a Dementor's Kiss and now it seemed impossible to put together any sort of defence against it.

Noticing Granger had also gotten to her feet and was still watching him carefully, her soft brown eyes suddenly filled with concern, Draco decided he should say something.

"I think – I think you can leave," he told her honestly, with a bitter laugh. "I doubt there's anything you can do at this point. It seems like a lost cause to me already."

"Don't be stupid," she snapped back, stepping over to him and snatching the bottle of Firewhiskey out of his hands. "Abigail might have the letter, but she hasn't handed it over to the Ministry yet and if she does, then I'll be there to help you. I already have a few ideas that we could help for your defence."

She put the bottle back in the cabinet and locked it shut. "Right, now sit down and we'll talk it through. I'm going to need you to tell me everything you can remember about that letter and how it disappeared."

**..~**~..**

* * *

An hour later, Granger was going over the notes she had jotted down as Draco had answered her questions. He felt relatively more relaxed to see her take care of everything, but at the same time, still wondered what on earth she could possibly say in his defence at the trial.

He was watching her closely as the tip of her tongue moistened her soft pink lips and then went to chew on the end of her quill, whilst her eyes darted back and forth on the paper. He couldn't believe she would still want to help him after everything he had put her through and after everything she had done to bring him down.

He frowned.

Actually, why was she helping him?

"Granger," he spoke up, breaking the silence. "Why are you helping me?"

She barely looked up. "As you already said Malfoy, it's part of my contract to do so."

He didn't believe her. He leaned forward a little and plucked the quill out of her fingers.

"Really?" he asked, a faint smirk appearing on his lips. "So I'm guessing whatever happened between us has nothing to do with it?"

Her eyes flew open and she slowly lifted her head to face him. "No, it doesn't," she answered in a low voice. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He was only too happy to explain. "I'm talking about the feelings you once had for me."

Her expression changed almost instantly to anger. Her bright brown eyes flicked coldly to his and she suddenly sat up straight in her seat.

"And what makes you want to talk about that?" she asked fiercely, although her voice betrayed a deeper emotion.

"Nothing in particular," Draco drawled, leaning back into the leather couch. "Tell me then, _Hermione_, how are things going with the Weasel?"

She flinched at the sound of her name and a flicker of hurt crossed her eyes. Draco couldn't help but feel amused. For once, she was the one shying away from the past, not wanting to talk about it all, not that he cared, he was simply curious to see if she would brave enough to admit to the real reason why she was helping him.

"I am perfectly happy with Ron," she snapped, springing up to her feet as she started to gather belongings on the table.

Draco cocked his head to one side. "Then, why are you here with me instead of being at home, with him?"

She faltered. Her gaze suddenly lowered to the ground and before he could say anything else, she turned his back on him and walked to the large glass windows, peering out into the starry night. Draco got up to his feet and followed her, feeling a slight relief that she had not tried to argue back about Ron and told him that she loved the freckled idiot.

"Why are you making this so difficult?" she breathed out, keeping her back turned. "Why won't you simply accept my help without having to know the reasons behind it?"

Draco took another step closer and suddenly smelt her faint perfume; he breathed it in, remembering the pleasant smell from his last year at Hogwarts.

"Because nothing comes for free," he argued back amused, chuckling softly as his silver eyes wandered over her soft curls cascading down her back before he could stop himself. "You've spent three years trying to bring me down, you have all the proof you need and yet here you are helping me. Why don't you admit that the past has finally gotten to you again or maybe the Weasel isn't satisfying your needs anymore and you can't stop thinking about –"

"Shut up!" she cut in angrily, whirling around to face him. "You don't know what you're talking about! This hasn't got anything to do with you -"

"Oh really? Then, for Merlin's sake tell me! Why are you helping me?"

"Because I won't let them take your soul, Draco!" she cried out and for the first time that night, he realised the amount of fear her eyes held. "Because I can't even bring myself to let you rot in Azkaban! I can't – I couldn't live with myself knowing that I could have prevented such a horrible fate from happening to you! I simply can't do that to you, so don't ask me to! You do deserve a life sentence in that dreadful place, but I can't do it! Even after everything you've done to me, I can't bring myself to hurt you and God help me, I will fight for you, fight with everything I've got before I let them take you to the Dementors!"

Her words wiped the smirk off his face and he awkwardly backed away from her.

Draco couldn't believe his ears. She was going to help him because she still cared for him. He had thought she was merely helping him because maybe she took pity on him or simply because they had once been close, but he had never thought that she might still have feelings for him, that she might still love –

No, he couldn't say it, this couldn't happen! They had been through this already, dealt with it and she knew perfectly well where they stood. She might have been a part of him once ago, but he had given her up. They both had different lives now, he was at the top, reeling with power, whilst she was – she was with the Weasel.

Draco shook his head. He realised that he was still making excuses when really he should already be laughing at her because he had no more feelings for her. But yet, it wasn't the case – it simply wasn't the case and an old feeling he thought he had managed to bury deep inside of him, suddenly crept back into his bones, radiating faintly through his body.

"Draco?"

Her whispered voice broke him out of his reverie. His silver eyes stared back at her, unblinking; trying to make sense of all this mess, but all he could do was look at her. Look at her long curled eyelashes, casting dark shadows over her soft brown eyes, which shone brightly with emotion. The slight crease between her eyebrows as she waited anxiously for him to say something. Her full pink lips left slightly open as she drew in another ragged breath. She was standing so close to him, too close to him and all sorts of emotions coursed through his body as he watched her.

Merlin, simply looking at her like this, truly gazing into her face for the first time since they had met again, brought memories rushing back into his mind. So many memories – so far away – it was as if they were coming from a different lifetime.

She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but her voice, like his, was overwhelmed with emotion.

"Don't say anything, Granger," he began. He had to get out of this mess before he lost himself.

She had already opened her mouth to retort.

"Don't."

She closed it, briefly taken aback. He stared at her for a long moment and sighed.

"Go," he finally told her, in a low whisper. "Just go before I do something we're both going to regret."

He watched her as his words registered. She sucked in a breath as her eyes snapped open in surprise, fixed on his face.

"I can't," she answered truthfully.

A sudden inexplicable feeling lurched through him and without thinking, he wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, pulling her against him and he kissed her hard.

And Merlin help him, it was a pretty damned mind-blowing kiss too.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Well its about time, don't you think? This chapter was incredibly painful to write, it's so much more easier to write action than delving into people's psyches and trying to understand their feelings. Of course, I couldn't just hook our favourite pair up without a good reason and I do hope this was reason enough for you!**

**Next chapter: Hermione reflects upon the kiss, we'll visit Ginny's apartment and the big trouble will begin between Death Eaters and the Order. Unfortunately, the next few chapters aren't going to be happy ones…**

**Please drop a review before you leave! I'll dedicate the next chapter to my 200th reviewer!**

**Hathor xxx**


	11. Trickery

**Author's Notes:** **Hello everybody! Long time no see… well I have been up to lots of stuff since my last update. Basically to summarise it all, I studied for my final exams, had my 21st birthday and started helping out with Spellcast, Fictionalley's podcast, which you should all check out. The second episode will be up next week.**

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I think I managed to answer everybody unless I didn't have their email. And as promised, this chapter is dedicated to enchantedrain, my 200th reviewer! **

**A big thank you to Ruth who beta-read for me. Cool, well I don't want to spoil anything for you, so read on!**

******..~**~..**

* * *

_Last chapter:_

_"Go," he finally told her, in a low whisper. "Just go before I do something we're both going to regret."_

_He watched her as his words registered. She sucked in a breath as her eyes snapped open in surprise, fixed on his face._

_"I can't," she answered truthfully._

_A sudden inexplicable feeling lurched through him and without thinking, he wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, pulling her against him and he kissed her hard._

_And Merlin help him, it was a pretty damned mind-blowing kiss too._

**..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

A shiver ran through Hermione as Draco's lips pressed firmly against hers. Without thinking, she parted her lips slightly and his tongue slid into her mouth.

And then, there was nothing soft or gentle about the kiss as they both gave in to the desire they had repressed for three long years. She slid her hands around to the back of his neck, pulling him down against her, as he plunged his fingers into her hair. They kissed with the same urgency, tongues battling frantically to gain control. His hands gradually travelled down to her waist, holding her tightly in his strong arms and a deep sense of familiarity and comfort washed over her.

Hermione gave into him completely, his warm breath intoxicating her mind, as a wave of passion coursed through her bones and caused her own body heat to escalate. She felt dizzy, her head was spinning, she could hardly breathe and yet, it was the best feeling in the world.

She couldn't remember him ever kissing her like this before. She could only wish for more. Even with Ron, they had certainly shared heated kisses, but it had never been quite so –

_Oh God – Ron!_

Hermione's eyes flew open at the thought of her fiancé. She pulled her head away as her hands dropped from Draco's hair to his chest and pushed him away.

They broke apart, both staring wildly at each other and breathing heavily.

Finding herself face to face with two deep pools of silver, Hermione dropped her gaze to the floor guiltily as her cheeks began to flush. She finally opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she was at a loss for words.

To both their surprises, a knock rang out from the office door, causing them to jump back in surprise and before they had time to collect themselves, the door flew open, revealing a very haughty-looking man, Blaise Zabini.

"Ah Draco," he greeted, striding into the office, but stopped immediately as he spotted Hermione.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he added silkily, raising an intrigued eyebrow, "I wasn't aware you still had _company_ at such a late time. I trust I'm not interrupting anything?"

His tone was arrogant and insulting. His deep blue eyes held only contempt and disgust for Hermione. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she saw his eyes roam over her body. She had heard enough stories from Ron about Zabini to know what a cruel bastard he was, not to mention everything that had happened at Hogwarts. Nonetheless, she used his interruption as an excuse to escape Malfoy's presence.

"Lord Malfoy and I have finished talking," she answered coldly. "I was just about to leave."

Ignoring the incredulous glance Malfoy shot her, she turned her back to them and quickly gathered the files and notes strewn across the coffee table.

"I shall see you after you return from your trip in Italy, Malfoy," she told him firmly as she headed out of his office. He was still frozen on the spot since Blaise's intrusion, but his silver eyes watched her like a hawk.

"Goodnight," she said, as she reached for the door handle.

Blaise sneered in return and Malfoy merely nodded.

**..~**~..**

* * *

A few minutes later, Hermione apparated outside her apartment building in Hogsmeade and took out her keys to let herself in. It was on Fred's orders that anti-Apparition spells had been put up around her flat after she had received several death threats from renegade Death Eaters. It had been expected ever since she had waged war against them at the Ministry, but she still thought that the wards weren't practical. Death Eaters could just as easily attack her from outside when she let herself in and now she had four sets of stairs to climb each time before reaching her flat.

As Hermione walked in through the front door of her flat and locked it behind her, she instinctively called out for Abigail, who was usually back from work before her, except when she was on duty for the Order.

There was no response.

She walked through into the peach-coloured kitchen and dumped her cloak and bag on a wooden table chair, sighing with exhaustion. Next, she picked up her mail, but suddenly jumped in fright as a figure abruptly appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Fred!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Jesus Christ, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry, Hermione," he apologised quickly, but she noticed that his face was pale and strained.

"Is everything alright?" she asked him.

"No - it's Abby," he answered softly, walking past her towards the sink and filling up a glass with tap water. "I came over just after lunch and found her collapsed on the floor. Her nose was bleeding and she was breaking into a sweat."

Hermione looked up at him, concerned. "Sounds like she overdid herself in magic again. Where is she?"

She followed him as he headed out of the kitchen again.

"I put her straight to bed as usual and she's been there ever since. You understand, I couldn't take her to St Mungo's… too many questions and all."

Hermione merely nodded and stepped around him as they reached the guestroom, heading straight for Abigail.

The room was dim, except for a small bedside lamp and a few candles. Abigail was lying in her bed, covered up to the chin with a thick duvet and warm blankets and yet her teeth were clattering together. Her forehead was glistening with beads of sweat and her tanned skin looked almost yellow, although her cheeks were flushed.

"Have you given her any potions?" she asked Fred immediately, feeling Abigail's pulse.

"Only Snape's," he replied, biting his lower lip. "I wasn't sure what else I could do. I thought I could owl Terry or Hannah, but I can't bother them seeing as this isn't Order business. I owled Mum instead and she told me to give her lots of water to drink and hopefully Snape's potion should take effect in a few hours. She looks a lot better than when I found her."

"Abby? Abigail, can you hear me?" Hermione called out, taking her cousin's hand in her own.

"Urgh - Mione?" a weak voice replied.

Hermione held up the glass of water to her lips for her to drink. "Here, drink up Abby. You'll feel better soon."

She stroked the pale hand gently and then turned to face Fred. "I should think Snape's potion along with a good night's rest will help replenish her magic. It always has before, but you should have owled me straight away Fred, I could have helped you."

"I know," he said crestfallen, putting down a small bottle of blue potion on the bedside table. "I'm sorry. I figured you had enough on your plate taking care of Malfoy's sordid affairs all day. She wasn't in any grave danger anyway, she's just overexerted her magic again."

Hermione let out a heavy sigh. "I wish she'd stop doing that. I know her powers are important for the Order, but one of these days, she'll go too far and put herself in real danger."

Fred shook in head in response. "She wasn't on a mission for us today or last night. This has got nothing to do with the Order."

Hermione gazed down anxiously at the sick girl, but said nothing.

**..~**~..**

* * *

The following morning, Hermione woke up in the warmth of her bed when she distinctly remembered having spent the night beside Abigail's bed on a chair.

Lifting her head up to read her alarm clock, she groaned loudly as she realised that it was far too early to get up.

"Morning!"

Her door was kicked open and Abigail stepped in, holding a breakfast tray in her hands and bringing in with her divine smells of bacon and sausages.

"Abby!" Hermione said surprised, sitting up in her bed. "What are you doing up on your feet? You should be in bed, resting!"

"Nonsense," the other girl exclaimed, balancing the heavy tray on the covers, under Hermione's nose. "I feel perfectly fine. I don't know what's in that potion Snape brews, but I feel completely refreshed."

Hermione gave her a disapproving look, but said nothing preferring to dig into her breakfast instead.

"God, a proper English breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice and tea! I'm impressed, Miss Serpent!" she exclaimed, taking in the contents of the tray. "Since when can you cook anything but spaghetti?"

Abby smirked in response. "Well Fred helped me before he left for –"

"Wait, no eggs?" she cut in, looking at the tray in fright.

The other girl simply shook her head, looking sheepish. "Yeah… er - about those eggs, I'll pay you back."

Hermione cast her a suspicious look.

"Don't ask," Abby answered quickly. "Anyways, as I was saying, Fred's left for the Daily Prophet. He was supposed to check up on Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes; seeing how business is flourishing at the moment, but this morning's paper didn't leave him much choice."

She lay across the covers on Hermione's feet as she spoke, flicking through the latest Witch Weekly lazily.

"If only he spent more time worrying about that joke shop instead of our reputations, maybe he'd realise the fortune he could make and lay off our backs at the same time!"

Hermione snorted as she bit on a piece of toast. "I doubt that will ever happen, Fred likes being in control of our lives way too much. Besides, its not that bad, I don't mind having a public relations' guy to deal with the press and such. I wouldn't have time to do it myself and I prefer it to be Fred than some total stranger! So, what did the Prophet do this time?"

"Take a look for yourself," Abigail grumbled, pulling out the day's issue of the Daily Prophet and handing it to her. "Rita Skeeter has struck again. She's written the front page article and it's all about me!"

Hermione's eyes opened wide as she read the newspaper article. It was all about Abigail's life; questioning her behaviour and lifestyle since she became a Defeater of You-Know-Who and criticising her for not setting a better example for younger generations unlike Malfoy, Harry, Ron and herself.

"She got her hands on every interview I ever gave and distorted my answers, she's even talked to my boss and colleagues at both the Ministry and the Hellfire Club. Merlin, she even says that I had no intention of defeating Voldemort, but got caught up with you guys by pure coincidence and just happened to be there when he was defeated – which is kinda true I guess," Abigail rambled on, whilst helping herself to a piece of toast on the breakfast tray. "Of course, this article would never have made the front page news, unless someone was deliberately trying to destroy my image. We both know the story of my life isn't that interesting, therefore someone must have obviously asked Nott for a favour and I'll give you one guess as to who could possibly have done such a thing."

"This is terrible!" Hermione finally exclaimed, having skimmed through the article. Rita Skeeter had successfully depicted Abigail as a liar and claimed that she was playing mind games with Harry, Ron and herself in order to get fame and fortune.

"No actually, it's Malfoy," Abigail replied amused, returning to Witch Weekly and their monthly horoscope.

Hermione looked back at her incredulously. "Aren't you upset about this?"

The raven-haired girl lifted her head and furrowed her brows in thought. "Well I am… a bit. I mean this woman has just destroyed all the hard work Fred's done to make the public like me and it's not like I enjoy reading all that crap Skeeter wrote about me! But, at the same time, it's nothing that can't be repaired over time and besides - I was also hoping you guys would stick up for me."

Her eyes suddenly betrayed a feeling of dejection. "Right?"

"Of course, we will," Hermione answered quickly. "You know we'll do whatever it takes to contradict these accusations, but if Malfoy is really behind this, then I'm guessing the Prophet won't be interested in publishing our statements."

Abby waved her comment off. "No matter, there are plenty of other newspapers we can go to."

_Half of which Malfoy owns!_

And thinking about Malfoy whilst drinking her orange juice, Hermione wondered how her cousin had guessed that he was behind the Daily Prophet article.

"Abby, how do you know this is Malfoy's doing? He's not the only one with connections to Nott."

The other girl turned her head sharply to her. "It was obvious," she lied and Hermione knew it.

"Abby!"

"Fine, fine," she gave in, sitting up on the bed. "I stole something important from Malfoy Manor yesterday, something that was important enough to Malfoy to cause all this mess."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, until Hermione decided to be honest as well.

"Abby, I know about the letter," she spoke up, causing her to stop flicking through Witch Weekly and look up intently. "I understand what your intentions were, but it seems that stealing the letter is doing more harm than good. With this single article, Malfoy's not only destroyed your reputation, he's also attacking the Serpent honour and word. Even if you were to hand in that letter to the Ministry today, you'd have trouble getting people to believe you."

Abigail remained silent, eyeing her with a strange look. "How do you know about the letter?"

"Malfoy asked me to come by his office yesterday. He told me everything and then asked for my help. Since I'm his lawyer, at least temporarily, I will have to defend him against you if you ever hand the letter in."

Abigail's mouth hung open at her words, it was obvious she hadn't expected this turn of events.

"Oh", she finally let out.

However, before either of them could say another word, a loud crash was heard and a streak of orange suddenly darted inside the bedroom followed by a huge St Bernard dog.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione called out, catching the ginger cat as it lunged towards her in fright.

To her horror, B, still chasing after the cat, tried to leap on the bed too, but was stopped short just in time by Abigail.

"B!" she shouted, grabbing hold of his collar and Hermione quickly spotted a silver bracelet dangling from her wrist. "What are you doing here? Merlin, I'm so sorry Hermione, he knows better than to chase after Crookshanks! B, come on, get out!"

The dog immediately obeyed her, and bounded out of the room. Abigail got up following after him.

"I should probably take him out for a walk before I head off to work," she called over her shoulder from the door. "I'll see you for lunch, don't forget!"

And with that, she closed the door behind leaving a stunned Hermione, a nervous Crookshanks and an unfinished English breakfast.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Hours later, Hermione left Malfoy Inc. headquarters and apparated to Hogsmeade. Ron and Ginny had organised for everyone to meet up for lunch that day and discuss the upcoming wedding. However, what the others didn't know was that Hermione, with Ginny's consent, had also invited Harry to come along.

Hermione pulled her cloak tighter around her as she walked up the main street towards the Three Broomsticks for lunch. It wasn't nearly as chilly as the previous winter days, but the sun was hidden behind large dark clouds and an unpleasant cold wind was picking up around her. As she approached the pub, her brown eyes spotted a tall figure leaning against the red brick wall of the pub and peering inside the large bay window.

"Hello Harry," she greeted him, giving him a quick hug. "It's nice to see you."

He smiled in return, although it didn't reach his emerald-green eyes. "Hey Hermione."

He was wearing a large black cloak with his England Quidditch robes underneath and his hands were tucked inside his pockets. He glanced back towards the window and Hermione realised that the others were surely waiting for them.

"Well, what are you doing out here by yourself? Come inside!"

She took his arm gently, leading him to the door, but he quickly stopped her. "No, it's alright, you go in. I think I'll pass."

She scoffed in response. "Nonsense, everybody's waiting for us, come on."

However, he pulled back, casting yet another anxious glance inside. "No really, I doubt that they're waiting for me anyway. I'm guessing you haven't told them that I was coming."

She blushed slightly at his words and a wave of guilt overtook her. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to make things more difficult for you, but come have lunch with us. I'm sure it'll be fine."

He gave her a small smile, a knowing look passing through his eyes before he turned once more towards the window.

"Look at them, Hermione."

She did, taking a step closer to him and quickly spotted Ginny and Abigail laughing hard at something Ron had just said. They were all sitting comfortably around a large table holding Butterbeers in their hands as they waited for her to arrive no doubt.

"They're having a good time," Harry continued, looking at them with a funny sort of smile on his face, half amusement, half regret. "If I go in now, it won't be the same. Everyone will tense up again. It's obvious that they're not expecting me; they don't want me there. Ron made it clear enough the other day."

"Oh Harry," she protested, turning to face him, "but that's why you need to come with me! You have to show them that you haven't changed, that you're still the same old Harry, their same old friend!"

"But I have changed, we all have," he corrected, sparing her a glance before gazing back at his former friends. "Things are different now and besides, Abigail is there and I don't want to ruin your lunch if we start fighting again. She wouldn't want me there."

Hermione immediately felt sorry for him. She couldn't imagine what Harry must have felt when he lost both Ron and Abigail but yet, it was his own fault for leaving them in the first place. But now was not the time to start having that argument again.

"Ginny told me about what happened at the club with Abby," she said softly, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "It sounded pretty bad."

His gaze flicked down briefly at her hand. "You should have seen her," he said, speaking in undertones, "her eyes were full of hate and anger and… so much pain. Ron's pretty much the same; he won't even speak to me during Order meetings, even though he's my team leader. I'm guessing my arrival on the team didn't help things much; it's a good thing we haven't had any proper missions yet."

She sighed deeply in return. "Yeah well, that wasn't exactly the smartest move to join Ron's team so quickly."

"It was Dumbledore's orders," he told her quickly. "I had nothing to do with it, although none of them seem to believe me."

Hermione's heart sank at his words and she became more determined than ever to make Harry feel welcome again. He had already suffered so much during their time at Hogwarts, he didn't deserve to be going through this.

"Oh cheer up Harry!" she exclaimed, pulling him away from the window. "You just need to give them some time. I'll make sure Ron gets over himself and talks to you again; we're the 'Golden Trio', remember?"

He chuckled softly in return, although his eyes were full of melancholy. He suddenly reminded her of the scared and silent boy he used to be at the end of sixth-year. Harry really was no good without his friends around him.

"We haven't been called that for a very long time," he said, sounding resigned. "And with Ron's attitude, I doubt we will again."

Hermione shook her head in response. "Let me tell you something about Ronald Weasley. He might be mad or even furious with you, but during all those years you were gone, he always kept a photograph of us three on his office desk and his beside table. Trust me, he cherishes those photos even more than his signed Chudley Cannons poster and you know how much he loves that thing."

"Really?" he asked, his gaze full of anxious curiosity. "And what about Abigail? Do you think she can still forgive me after all these years?"

She paused and started to bite her lower lip; signalling her incertitude.

"I really can't say," she admitted, looking back through the window at her cousin, who was nonchalantly sipping her drink, whilst staring into space. "It was incredibly difficult to even mention your name without her leaving the room after you left. You know how she is, never wanting to admit her weaknesses, even to herself – she is a Slytherin after all, - but after you left her, her heart was broken."

Hermione continued peering through the stained glass vaguely watching her friends as memories of Abigail over the years, gradually faded into those of her own struggles and ache after Draco's departure.

"You have to understand that when your heart is broken, you will do whatever you can to survive, building up walls and cold facades to protect yourself from further harm," she explained, her voice constricting due to her emotions. "You cover your heart with stone, you become different, you change and inevitably - you become a shadow of yourself. But all that time, you are desperate for someone brave enough to reach beyond the ice before you crumble into despair."

Hermione closed her eyes suddenly, images of a forbidden kiss coming to mind, although she refused to let herself remember.

"Hermione," Harry's voice spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she answered quickly, giving him a weak smile. "Anyway, I'm sure Abigail still thought about you over the years Harry. How could she have possibly forgotten about you, the Boy Who Vanquished?"

A reluctant grin spread over his face.

"Listen," she continued, drawing her cloak even tighter around her as the cold wind picked up again, "why don't you come over to the flat in a couple of days and sort things out with her in a civilised manner – no fighting. I promise you I will talk to her before then and try to calm things down."

"She owes me anyway," Hermione added as an afterthought, thinking about B's behaviour.

"Alright, I will," he answered, drawing her into a hug. "You're the best Hermione, I hope you know that?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. "Yeah, yeah, everyone tells me so all the time," she teased. "So, are you coming in or not? It's quite cold out here."

He pulled away, wrapping her black cloak tightly around her shoulders for her. "No, you go in. I'm supposed to meet up with Fred at the Daily Prophet anyway, something about this morning's paper. And then I have training to prepare for tonight. It's our first match for the qualifications of the World Cup – England vs. Russia."

Silently wondering what Fred was up to, Hermione wished him good luck for the match.

"Thanks, for everything Hermione," he said, glancing one last time at his former friends inside the Three Broomsticks.

"You're welcome Harry," she replied and quickly kissed him on the cheek before he left. "And for what it's worth, I'm glad to have you back."

He nodded once and disapparated, looking happier than when he had arrived.

**..~**~..**

* * *

After work, Hermione dropped by Ginny's flat in East London. She had accepted to baby-sit Ryan since Ginny was off on a mission for the Order.

"Hi again," Ginny greeted her with a smile, opening the door. "Come in, come in."

She stepped aside to let Hermione in, who gave her a quick hug, took off her cloak and hung it up behind the door. Ginny's apartment was a small 2-bedroom flat with a kitchen, bathroom and lounge. Due to her low finances, she lived in quite a dangerous area in Muggle London, but anti-Apparition and other protective wards set up by the Order made the flat quite safe.

"Hello Ryan," Hermione greeted, picking up the small child from his pen with his toys. "Oooh, I swear you're getting heavier every time."

She sat herself down on a large green sofa with Ryan on her lap, bouncing him up and down, who gurgled with delight whilst Ginny went off to make some tea. That was when Hermione finally noticed a small plasma TV sitting opposite the sofa with several DVDs and videos piled next to it.

"Er, Gin?" Hermione exclaimed amused, cuddling Ryan close to her. "Care to explain why you have a television in your flat?"

She came back into the lounge, carrying a tray with a pot of tea, mugs and milk.

"Oh yeah," she answered brightly, setting down the tray on a square wooden coffee table. "It was a present from Fred and Bill for my twentieth birthday; hadn't you already seen it?"

She poured some tea, adding a spot of milk and handed the mug for Hermione, who nodded her head back at her.

"No, I hadn't," Hermione replied, taking the mug, her eyes fixed on the TV. "Is that a plasma screen?"

Ginny sitting down on a chair, turned to look at the Muggle device with a look of pride etched on her face. "Yes, it is," she announced pleased, "and it's amazing! I have over a hundred channels on it, some with animals on them, others with cartoons for Ryan and then did you know that there are even cooking channels! It's just so exciting when I turn it on –"

"Ginny," Hermione tried to interrupt, but the red head barely even heard her.

"And Fred lent me these tiny little disc things which have stories engraved in them," she continued, grasping a DVD case to show her. "I watched one last night, it was simply fascinating! And that's not the only Muggle device I have, I bought a whole bunch for the kitchen the other week with Abby."

She got up to her feet, ready to race out of the lounge, but catching Hermione's look of amazement, she stopped short, her previous excitement rapidly fading away.

"Oh Merlin," she let out, horrorstruck, as a grin began to spread on Hermione's face. "I sound just like my father! I've been trying so hard not to become my mother; I didn't see this coming!"

Hermione bit her lower lip to contain her giggles. "Oh sweetie," she said sympathetically, "I'm sure your dad would be very proud!"

Ginny furrowed her brows in reproach and snatched Ryan out of Hermione's arms, settling him back down into the playpen.

"Oh Gin, I was only joking with you," Hermione retorted, still amused.

However, before Ginny could answer, a loud crack was heard and Abigail appeared in the middle of the lounge.

"Hey girls," she greeted them, her dark eyes dancing with excitement. She seemed to be eager to take her revenge on the Death Eaters for this morning's article.

Hermione stared back at her incredulously. Abigail stood before them in full Order battle gear, including black T-shirt, baggy pants and combat boots with a heavy metal belt strapped around her waist holding all kinds of devices and potions as well as a wand holster strapped around her right arm and two large knives attached t her calves. Attached to her neck, she also had her team long black cloak with red lining flowing around her, which Hermione knew had several protection spells woven within it.

"Did I miss something?" Hermione asked her in a cold tone. She never liked seeing her friends geared up before their missions for the Order – it usually meant that it was a dangerous one. "Is Dumbledore sending you off to war?"

"We can't tell you about the mission," Abigail answered, frowning slightly. Hermione's frosty and cynical tone hadn't gone unnoticed. "But I can say this," she continued, turning to Ginny. "Potter won't be with us tonight since he hasn't officially completed the training _and_ the other teams are coming too, which means that Kingsley will be there!"

"Brilliant!" Ginny exclaimed. "I'd better go change since you're here."

She headed towards her bedroom, but stopped at the door. "Oh and if the doorbell rings, that's Suzie, my Muggle neighbour I told you guys about, remember? She's just coming by to introduce herself. She's babysat Ryan loads, so be nice to her!"

She disappeared inside her room, leaving Hermione sitting on the sofa, watching Abigail ruffle Ryan's small mop of hair affectionately.

"How come you're so glad Harry isn't on duty tonight?" Hermione asked, trying to keep a casual tone.

"Oh I don't know," Abby responded with a hint of sarcasm. "Maybe because he doesn't deserve to be on our team!"

Hermione nearly rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh for God's sake Abby, cut him some slack! He'd be a great asset to your team and he didn't ask to swap with Kingsley, it was all Dumbledore's fault!"

"Did he tell you that?" she answered amused, still playing with Ryan and his toys.

"He's really sorry you know. He regrets the past and wants to make it up to you and I don't understand why you won't talk to him!" Hermione tried pleading with her. "Why won't any of you listen to what he has to say? He needs his friends Abby! He needs Ron and Fred and Ginny, he needs you! Please tell me you'll give him a chance to explain next time you see him. If you hear him out and talk things out with him, I'm sure we can all get along just like before. It's really very simple!"

"No, it isn't," Abigail retorted softly, getting to her feet again.

Hermione waited for the explanation behind her argument, but didn't get one. She watched as Abigail sat down in an armchair beside and waited silently.

"What, that's it?" Hermione demanded, raising her eyebrow. "That's all you've got to say? You know an argument is usually a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition! It's not just saying 'no, it isn't'!"

"Yes, it is."

"No, _it isn't_," she said irritably, putting down her mug of tea on the table. Abigail only smirked in response and Hermione looked back at her sheepishly.

Before either of them could continue, the doorbell rang and Hermione jumped to her feet to answer it. A middle-aged, very pale skinned, blonde woman stood on the other side, smiling warmly at her.

"You must be, Hermione," she said cheerfully, letting herself in. "Ginny told me you would be babysitting little Ryan tonight. I'm Suzanna Brown, but please, call me Suzie. It's nice to meet you!"

Hermione shook her hand politely, shivering slightly as her hand made contact with ice-cold skin and mumbled her greetings in return.

"Please, have a seat," she told the neighbour, pointing towards the sofa. "Would you care for some tea, Suzie?"

The woman smiled and sat down, but then started a little as she noticed Abigail sitting in the corner.

"Oh, this is another friend of Ginny's," Hermione informed her, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of using a glamour charm on Abby's outfit. "Abigail."

She could have sworn a hint of recognition passed through Suzie's eyes at Abby's name, but she said nothing. Abigail, on the other hand, was watching Suzie with particular interest until she realised how odd her outfit looked.

"Ginny and I are going to a fancy dress party," Abby improvised, pointing to the outfit. "It's nice to meet you Suzie."

She stretched out her hand with a toothy smile on her face, which Hermione instantly recognised as fake.

_What is Abby playing at?_

She got her answer when as soon as Suzie grasped Abigail's hand, she was suddenly lifted to her feet and fiercely pinned against the wall with her arm twisted in her back and the tip of Abigail's wand at her throat.

"What are you doing?" Hermione shrieked, pulling her own wand out.

But her cousin ignored her and instead stared menacingly at Suzie, who was wincing from the pain of her twisted arm.

"Who sent you?" Abigail barked at her, the tip of her wand glowing slowly. "Was it him? Was it Malfoy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Suzie answered terrified and trying to push her face off the wall only to be roughly pushed against it again.

Abigail's eyes narrowed at her words. "Like hell you don't!"

"Merlin, what's going on here?" Ginny exclaimed, walking back into the lounge, now also in full battle gear. "Hermione?"

Hermione looked back at her friend looking as confused as ever. "I don't know, one minute we were talking and the next Abigail attacked her for no reason!"

Abigail turned around to look at her and gave her a filthy look. "Maybe that's because dear Miss Brown isn't human! She's a vampire!"

She was struck speechless. _A vampire?_

"Merlin's beard Gin, she's your neighbour!" Abigail continued, releasing Suzie roughly, but keeping her wand level with her throat and pulling out a stake from her belt. "Didn't you ever notice her aura was wrong?"

But Ginny remained silent and preferred to goggle at Suzie in astonishment before snapping out of it and rapidly pulling her wand out too.

"Er – I think you also read my aura wrong," Suzie suddenly spoke up, massaging her arm, and dropping the act of the innocent victim. "I'm not a vampire per se, I'm a _half_ vampire."

Abigail lifted a brow in suspicion. "I'm sorry, did you just say half-vampire?" she repeated.

"Yes, I did," Suzie replied in a reproachful tone, "and let me remind you that I'm also half-human before you decide to put that stake through my heart, Miss Serpent. It certainly won't help your reputation in the wizarding world if you kill an innocent human being. Indeed, I do not drink human blood, only pig's or cow's blood when I have an urge for it."

Abigail who had slowly lowered her stake, continued to glare daggers at her. "Well, well, well, it seems Miss Brown isn't so ignorant after all. She knows our names," she exclaimed before spinning around to face her cousin. "Um, Hermione, help me out here – I don't know anything about half-vampires."

In response, Hermione put her hands to her hips. "Well don't look at me!" she answered back. "Just because I read a lot of books, it certainly does not mean that I know everything!"

Both Abigail and Ginny gave her an incredulous look.

"Alright, alright," she gave in, sitting back down on the sofa, "hold on."

She put her head between her hands and tried to remember everything she had read about half-vampires.

"Maybe we ought to call Remus," Ginny suggested, picking up Ryan and holding him close to her. "He'll know what to do."

"No, it's too late," Abigail informed her, keeping an eye on Suzie. "He's already left for Headquarters. He's unreachable until the mission is over."

"Let's try the Ministry," Hermione intervened, getting back up to her feet. "It's no use for me to remember anything without any books at hand. I haven't studied vampires since my NEWTS at Hogwarts."

"And all my DADA and other books are at the Burrow," Ginny added, bouncing Ryan lightly in her arms.

"Alright, fine," Abigail said, looking unhappy. "I would have preferred not to call the Ministry since they think I'm sick and off work tonight, but I don't see any other choice. Ginny, you'd better take Ryan back to his room; Hermione, call the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and tell them to get here fast."

"No!" Suzie cried out, taking a step forward, only to find Abigail's wand pointing at her face. "Oh God please, you don't understand, half-vampires are not allowed to breed. I have three children, if the Ministry ever finds out, they'll call for Slayers and kill me and my family!"

Hermione looked into her desperate eyes, but simply couldn't take pity on her. This woman was a half-vampire and she simply couldn't be let wandering around a Muggle building without warning the Ministry. Besides, they still didn't know if she was telling the truth or not.

Abigail seemed to be having the same problem believing her. "Ok, let me get this straight. You're a half-vampire - and please, I would prefer to remain in blissful ignorance concerning your conception – but if you have children, does that make them quarter-vampires?" she finally asked, keeping her wand steady.

The woman nodded, tears starting to leak down her face. "Technically yes, but they don't drink blood. They don't even like blood-flavoured lollipops!"

"I think she's telling the truth Abby," Ginny piped up. "Suzie's babysat for me loads and her kids are great. None of them have ever hurt Ryan."

Hermione gave her a warning look and the redhead left the room to put Ryan back in his cot.

"Hermione," Abigail suddenly called to her. "Fire call the Ministry and ask them what they know about half-vampires, but don't tell them about Miss Brown yet. We need to know if she's telling the truth first, before we can decide anything."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it and left for the kitchen to find the chimney. Five minutes later she walked back into the lounge with a notepad in her hand. Abigail and Ginny were sitting on the same couch, wands in their hands whilst Suzie was sitting opposite them in an armchair, sniffling quietly.

"She's telling the truth," she explained to her friends who were looking at her expectantly. "Half vampires don't have fangs, therefore they don't drink human blood only animal blood when they need it. However, they are not allowed to breed and should they do so, it should immediately be reported to the Ministry."

"No!" Suzie protested once more, burying her face in her hands. "No, please, don't take my children away. They are harmless; the Ministry will kill them! Please!"

Abigail seemed as confused as ever and Ginny looked stricken.

"Calm down Suzie," she tried to comfort her neighbour. "The Ministry can't possible kill your children if they're harmless. They'll only keep them in observation for a while."

But Hermione knew the Ministry better than that and judging by the anxious look Abigail cast her; she wasn't the only one.

She stood up and motioned Hermione to follow her to the other side of the room, leaving Ginny and Suzie by themselves. "What do we do?" she spoke in an undertone, keeping a sharp eye on Suzie. "Ginny and I need to leave in ten minutes, but I don't want to leave you and Ryan alone with her."

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she stared at the half-vampire. "I think we should call the Ministry and let them sort it out."

"No, we can't! Macnair's son is in charge of the Vampire Division. He normally recruits vampires for Malfoy, but if he's given a fangless vampire with three defenceless kids, he's bound to call Slayers," she explained, keeping her voice down. "We have to let her go."

"What?" Hermione cried out. "Are you out of your mind? She could attack anyone in the building!"

"She hasn't got any fangs, Hermione!" she retorted annoyed. "We'll add some anti-vampire protection around Ginny's flat, but that's all we can do for now. We can always get Remus to check in on her later."

Hermione's eyes flashed in anger at her words. "For Christ's sake, I can't believe you're going to put Ginny and Ryan in danger –"

"I'm not putting them in danger," she cut in sharply. "Damn it, don't you understand? This woman is harmless and even if she tried to attack Ginny with a kitchen knife or something, she won't be able to get past the wards. Now help me increase the flat's protection already so that Ginny and I can go already!"

Hermione glared daggers at her, but said nothing. Picking up her wand, she quickly went about casting anti-vampire charms on the walls and doors and conjuring clusters of garlic. After having threatened Miss Brown to keep away from Ginny and the Muggles and sent her back to her own flat, Abigail helped with the wards and then quickly Flooed with Ginny to Grimmauld Place.

Hermione had no idea whatsoever what their mission consisted of, but wished them luck all the same and decided to Floo back to her own flat, holding Ryan in her arms.

**..~**~..**

* * *

A few hours later, with Ryan fast asleep in her bed, Hermione was sitting cross-legged in front of the chimney, reading a magazine and appreciating the warmth of the fire. It was getting quite late already, but she didn't care and waited patiently for Ron's return.

He always came to her flat after missions and she always took care of him, covering his bruises and cuts with ointments and sometimes bandaging a twisted ankle or large gash. And he always let her, trying his best to describe the night's events, although he wasn't allowed to give away the purpose of the mission.

As she finished reading the latest Witch Weekly and put it away, she noticed the fire flicking green and moments later, large green flames burst alive, revealing the head of Molly Weasley in the fire.

"Mrs Weasley, what are you –" she exclaimed, but was soon cut off by the woman's panicked voice.

"Hermione, it's Ron – he's – he's hurt! We need your help healing the injured. Please Floo immediately to Headquarters!"

The head disappeared before Hermione could answer and the fire returned to its normal golden colour.

_The injured?_

She was frozen on the spot as Mrs Weasley's words echoed in her mind. Finally snapping out of it, she grabbed her wand from the sofa, ran to the bedroom and softly picked up Ryan in her arms. Putting out the fire with water from her wand, she stepped inside her chimney and throwing a fistful of Floo powder, they both disappeared to 12, Grimmauld Place.

**..~**~..**

* * *

As Hermione stepped out of the chimney, she was immediately greeted by Ginny.

"Ryan!" she exclaimed, gripping her little boy fiercely.

Hermione wanted to greet her in return, but her mouth quickly ran dry as her eyes took in Ginny's appearance. He was covered in grime and blood, her battle clothes were torn in several places and blood seeped out of several large gashes along her arms.

"Ginny, you're hurt!" Hermione exclaimed in horror, stepping towards her, but she pushed back.

"No," the redhead cried out, firmly keeping her gaze on the chimney before her. "Take Ryan away from here. I have to stay here, I might be needed, they might still need me!"

"Don't be stupid, you need –" but Hermione soon broke off as she caught sight of the chaos in the kitchen. Order members filled the room, sitting on chairs or standing against walls, some even lying on the floor or the kitchen table. Each were moaning slightly, clutching their sides or cringing in pain from their injuries and Alicia Spinnet and Hestia Jones, who obviously hadn't taken part in the mission went from member to member, trying to heal their as best as they could.

Tearing her eyes away from the sight before her, Hermione starting feeling faint from the smell of sweat and blood and decided that she had better leave the kitchen soon. As she was about to put Ryan down, she suddenly noticed the puddle of blood at her feet where numerous injured Order members had stepped out of the fireplace.

She staggered out of it, clutching Ryan tightly in her arms, her eyes searching wildly for any redhead in the room apart from Ginny. But there were none. Ron was nowhere in sight. Turning back to Ginny, Hermione touched her shoulder, starting her slightly and asked her where they were.

"Upstairs," she choked, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "Anyone seriously injured was taken upstairs."

Hermione felt her stomach clench at her words and her knees begin to buckle underneath her. She turned towards the kitchen door and walked out, going up the stairs trying not to think of the worst and silently walking past Mrs Black's portrait who remained quiet.

She climbed one step at a time, feeling the walls constrict around her as a multitude of unanswered questions confused her mind. Reaching the top, she met Fred coming out of the nearest bedroom, a grave expression on his face.

"Fred," she whispered, grasping hold of his robes. "My God Fred, what the hell happened?"

Her voice was overwhelmed with emotion and tears began to slide down her face as she stared fixedly at Fred's strained and tired face.

"It's okay, Hermione," he said immediately, grasping her hands in his own. "Ron's okay. It was all a trap, the Death Eaters ambushed the Order, but we managed to Portkey everyone back in emergency before anyone was killed. Ron was apparently hit by the Cruciatus Curse and a Bone-breaking curse. His team sent him back to Headquarters almost immediately and Hannah and Terry, have been taking care of him since."

Hermione drew a ragged breath, trying to control her tears. "Can I – can I see him?"

"Oh course," Fred replied. "Here, let me take care of little Ryan."

He picked the sleeping little boy out of her arms, a warm smile on his face. "We'd really appreciate it if you could help Alicia and Hestia downstairs afterwards. Hannah and Terry are still taking care of Angelina."

"Angelina Johnson?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"Yes, she's in bad shape - but that's not all," he told her, fear suddenly appearing in his eyes. "Kingsley and Roberts were taken by Death Eaters and Portkeyed away."

Hermione fought down feelings of panic as colour slowly drained from her face.

Fred took a deep breath and continued with difficulty. "Moody, Remus and Abigail have gone after them – but we lost contact with them over an hour ago."

**..~**~..**

* * *

_You know an argument is usually a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition! It's not just saying 'no, it isn't'!"_

_"Yes, it is."_

_"No, it isn't,"_

**Hope you all recognised this quote. It's from the Monty Python.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was fun to write! The whole idea about half-vampires comes from another fic, I forget which one… Although this chapter has a certain lightness about it, the next chapters will get darker and fast. Next chapter will have some Abby/Harry, but mostly it will describe the Order mission and show how it all went wrong… character death! **

**UPDATE: A preview of chapter 12 is up on my Livejournal, check it out!**

**Thanks for leaving a review!**


	12. Ambush

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world doesn't belong to me but to JK Rowling.**

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I know its been forever and I'm terribly sorry about the wait but a lot has happened since the last update. Mostly I graduated from uni, then moved to another country and well, life just caught up with me really and Spellcast has been taking up all my time!**

**Feel free to friend me on my LJ (hathorx) as it's the best place to get updates from me. A ****preview of chapter 13 will be up on my LJ soon. **

**A big thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, I'm sorry I'm not able to get back to you all, but I will definitely to everyone for this one :) You guys rock and I hope you enjoy chapter 12, I've been working forever on it!**

**Oh and I'm in desperate need of a beta-reader for this fic so if anyone could help me that'd be great, it'd also help me update quicker! Otherwise, feel free to point out spelling and grammar mistakes and I'll correct them.**

**This chapter is Abby's POV of the Order's mission and how it went wrong... hope you like it!**

******..~**~..**

* * *

_Previous Chapter:_

_"Upstairs," Ginny choked, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "Anyone seriously injured was taken upstairs."_

_Hermione felt her stomach clench at her words and her knees begin to buckle underneath her. She turned towards the kitchen door and walked out, going up the stairs trying not to think of the worst and silently walking past Mrs Black's portrait who remained quiet._

_She climbed one step at a time, feeling the walls constrict around her as a multitude of unanswered questions confused her mind. Reaching the top, she met Fred coming out of the nearest bedroom, a grave expression on his face._

_"Fred," she whispered, grasping hold of his robes. "Oh my God Fred, what's happened?"_

_Her voice was overwhelmed with emotion and tears began to slide down her face as she stared fixedly at Fred's strained and tired face._

_"It's ok Hermione," he said immediately, grasping her hands in his own. "Ron's ok Hermione. It was all a trap, the Death Eaters ambushed the Order, but we managed to Portkey everyone back in emergency before anyone was killed. Ron was apparently hit by the Cruciatus Curse and a Bone-breaking curse. His team sent him back to Headquarters almost immediately and our Healers, Hannah and Terry, have been taking care of him since."_

_Hermione drew a ragged breath, trying to control her tears. "Can I – can I see him?"_

_"Oh course," Fred replied. "Here, let me take care of little Ryan."_

_He picked the sleeping little boy out of her arms, a warm smile on his face. "We'd really appreciate it if you could help Alicia and Hestia downstairs afterwards. Hannah and Terry are still taking care of Angelina."_

_"Angelina Johnson?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with concern._

_"Yes, she's in bad shape - but that's not all," he told her, fear suddenly appearing in his eyes. "Kingsley and Roberts were taken by Death Eaters and Portkeyed away."_

_Hermione fought down feelings of panic as colour slowly drained from her face._

_Fred took a deep breath and continued with difficulty. "Moody, Remus and Abigail have gone after them – but we lost contact with them over an hour ago."_

_**..~**~..**_

* * *

Chapter 12

* * *

(6 hours earlier)

Abigail settled herself on the kitchen table bench after flooing to 12, Grimmauld Place for the mission briefing. She was still lost in her thoughts about Ginny's neighbour and silently wondered whether she had made the right decision to let a half-vampire roam free. She looked up at Ginny and noticed the look of concern etched on her friend's face as well, but quickly dismissed it when she felt someone punch her hard in the arm.

"Alright kiddo," a deep voice spoke up next to her.

"Ouch! Kingsley!" she exclaimed, surprised to see her old teammate still at Headquarters. She punched his muscled arm in return, although she already knew he wouldn't feel anything. "Stop hitting me every time you see me! I'm starting to get a permanent bruise on my arm."

"Quit whining, would you?" he said roughly, nudging her along the bench with his elbow to make more space for other members. "If you practised 'Constant Vigilance' at all times, it wouldn't happen."

Abigail scowled back at him. "You spend too much time with Moody."

His scarred face gave her a lopsided grin and she quickly smiled back, pleased to see her old teammate again. After joining the Order, Kingsley had been her trainer for the first few months and then she was eventually assigned with him to Ron's team; the Red team. Kingsley was surely one of the Order's best field agents, however, Ron being a better strategist, Dumbledore had assigned him as team leader.

Within minutes the kitchen was full with Order members, sitting down wherever they could find space as Moody waited in a corner for everyone to arrive before the mission briefing.

"What are you doing here?" Abigail suddenly whispered, noticing Remus, Dedalus Diggle and Mr. Weasley, Kingsley's new teammates, were absent. "Hasn't the Blue team already left Headquarters?"

"They have," he informed her, leaning in. "Lupin left me behind though for last minute orders. Something's come up."

"Alright, settle down everyone," bellowed Moody, standing by the kitchen sink, his magical eye spinning in all directions.

The last few members still standing, hurried to take a seat or simply leant back against the cool kitchen wall, listening intently.

"Good, now listen closely," Mad-Eye continued. "Here's the plan for tonight. As you all know, we're intercepting a man named Smith, who's been working for the Death Eaters within the Ministry. The Blue team is supposed to meet him in an hour's time at our usual meeting place by the docks. Lupin and his team will meet Smith in the courtyard and the other teams will be positioned in the surrounding east and west warehouses. Now, I know you're all probably wondering why we've decided to send out so many field teams for this mission, but the reason is that several incidents have been brought to our attention today and in my opinion, they're not simple coincidences."

Several people grunted or moaned at his words, remembering Moddy's paranoia when it came to dark wizards, but they were quickly silenced again by Moody's stern look.

"There's no point in arguing, Dumbledore completely agrees with me on this one," he growled back. "We've received inside information from both Mundungus and Greengrass that something's stirring among the Death Eaters since Malfoy's left for Italy. But something more troublesome has come up tonight. When the Blue team arrived at the meeting place earlier on, they noticed Muggle building constructions around the south warehouse, which have never occurred before. Those warehouses were specifically chosen by the Order for such meetings because they've been abandoned for several years and there were few chances that the Muggles would ever have an interest in them again. The information squad is already looking into it and for the moment, the Muggle building company doesn't seem to be linked in any way to any Death Eater activity. If, however, we discover within the hour that it is - then expect trouble."

Abigail's ears suddenly picked up at his words. She was used to large-scale missions and running into Death Eaters when important information was exchanged. Her role on the team was generally to knock people around, and it often happened when the Order operated in enemy territory, but never before had there been any serious risks of an ambush.

She suddenly looked around for Fred, the head of the Information Squad (or officially the Yellow team) since he always knew more than anyone else and usually gave her a reassuring smile before missions. But tonight, he was nowhere to be found.

"So, here's the plan," Moody continued loudly, summoning a map from the locked cupboard under the sink and spreading it out on the table. "Team Red, you'll be waiting within the west warehouse and the Black team in the east one. Anything suspicious comes up, you notify Remus first and then me. I'll be supervising the mission from Headquarters with my own team. If anything dangerous comes up on our end, we'll Portkey in straight away. Now, if the meeting with Smith goes wrong, remember that each team leader has been given a Portkey, which once triggered will bring you straight back to Headquarters."

He paused, looking gravely upon all the Order members. "We don't have enough Portkeys for everyone, so no matter what, stick together."

He looked up, his electric-blue eye staring at every pale face around him, communicating the gravity of the situation.

"We need the information Smith holds people," he concluded, rolling up the map with his wand. "Whatever happens, I want him brought back for questioning. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded in return and Moody gave an eerie smile.

"Right then, Weasley, Podmore come with me. The rest, get ready to leave in ten minutes."

Abigail watched as the team leaders were summoned forward for further instructions and the rest of the Order left the small kitchen hastily. The Healers headed back upstairs to prepare beds and bandages in case of injuries and the Information Squad returned to the drawing-room where their equipment was set up to keep in touch with various contacts.

Abigail got up to her feet and followed Alicia Spinnet, a member of Fred's team to the dusty and crowded drawing-room, where she was given a small, square mirror, which had a identical one hung up above the mantelpiece, next to many others. Fred and Lee Jordan had successfully altered the Marauder's invention to make the mirrors no longer a two-way system, but linkable to any other member's mirror. The little pocket mirrors had proven their usefulness more than once during missions.

As Abigail looked around for Fred and quickly spotted him, with his head stuck in the fireplace, engulfed in green flames, talking animatedly as Luna Lovegood jotted down notes next to him and Lee Jordan rapidly tapped the keyboard of a Muggle computer. They all looked stressed and very tired.

She left the room quickly to find her the rest of her team, giving Kingsley a quick smile as she passed by him.

"Good luck, kiddo," he said, winking at her.

"You too Kingsley. You know, it won't be the same without you," she answered, looking up into his scarred face. After years of fighting, they all carried scars now, whether visible on their skin or hidden within their soul. Wounds so deep they never showed and never went away.

He gave her a small nod and headed off to see the Information Squad as she returned to the kitchen. Next thing she knew, her team was ready to Disapparate to the abandoned warehouse.

**..~**~..**

* * *

"Serpent! Serpent!"

Abigail dove her hand into her back pocket for what seemed like the millionth time to retrieve her communication mirror.

"What?" she hissed at it seeing the face of Sturgis Podmore, leader of the Black team, suddenly appear on the glass.

She was crouched down in a ball, hiding underneath the broken glass windows of a stingy and dark two-storey warehouse, which seemed about to collapse on itself at any moment. She wasn't in the mood to be pestered.

"You see anything yet?" he asked her, frowning at her tone of voice.

"Apart from Dedalus scratching his backside? Nothing," she told him with a hint of exasperation in her voice. "I've already told you, if we do see something suspicious, we'll report to you as planned!"

"Remember who you're talking to young lady!" he began, but Abigail rolled her eyes at him.

"Then stop calling me every ten seconds. Your team is positioned opposite us, so if anything happens, you'll see it too!"

Podmore remained silent, realising the logic behind her words. "Alright, where's Weasley?"

"He's gone upstairs to explore the warehouse. He's making sure they aren't any possible entrances up there. I'm sure he'll report too if anything comes up," she answered coldly, taking in her surroundings.

The abandoned warehouse, which had once been used to store different Muggle products, still contained hundreds of boxes of junk piled up throughout the building between large metal pillars. These supported the wooden frame of the warehouse, which badly needed replacing. To her left, a crooked metal staircase led to the upper floor, where several offices had been installed and which Ron was currently investigating. To her right stood the large back entranceway, connected to the south building and which, along with the front door, the Red team had heavily barred and warded before taking place under the once panelled windows, facing the courtyard, where Smith was supposed to arrive within the next few minutes.

Podmore, having nothing else to say, nodded once and then disappeared from the mirror.

Abigail cursed under her breath and went back to spying on the courtyard outside, eager for some action. She wasn't too worried about the mission or for her own team. She had already cast upon Ginny and Ron the strongest _Protego _spell she knew for them and the usual family protection on herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't protect every member of the Order as so many protective spells would drain her magic temporarily.

"You shouldn't have spoken to him like that," Ginny warned her, keeping an eye outside through the window with her wand in hand. "He'll probably complain about you to Dumbledore again."

Abigail shrugged and Ron quickly returned, crouching immediately next to them.

"All clear," he told them, "but something's not right tonight. I have a bad feeling about this. Smith should have arrived by now. Did I miss anything?"

Abby nodded her head. "Only Podmore calling a dozen or so times. As if he wasn't looking at the exact same courtyard as we are. Seriously, who died and made him leader?"

Ginny turned her head, her sharp brown eyes looking at Abigail disapprovingly.

"Sturgis is a really good leader, Abby. He was part of the original Order for Merlin's sake, you should be more respectful to him."

"Are you kidding me?" she retorted, laughing shortly. "Did you not hear what he said the other week when he tried to convince Moody to break into Malfoy Manor?"

"Well, you obviously didn't think it was that stupid after all," Ginny muttered back, her eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"What did you say? " Abigail asked in a whisper, tightening her grip around her wand. "Have you been spying on me?"

"Don't be silly," the red-head scoffed at her. "Hermione told me during lunch about your little trip to Malfoy Manor and how well it turned out!"

"Hello! Please don't think I'm pulling rank or anything, but would you two please shut up?" Ron suddenly spoke up, effectively silencing them. "Smith's just arrived in case you hadn't noticed."

Abigail's snapped back up to peer outside at the courtyard, where Remus was standing in the middle, ready to meet Smith, whilst Kingsley, Dedalus and Mr. Weasley stood behind him hidden in the shadows, wands at the ready.

They all watched silently, gripping their wands nervously as Smith walked purposefully towards the centre of the courtyard. Abigail watched him closely and suddenly noticed that the sleeves of his robes were hiding his left hand.

"Ron!" she whispered urgently to her left. "Look closely at his left arm, he's hiding his hand!"

"What?"

But Remus, having finally spotted Smith's approach was already stepping forward to greet the man, not having noticed the treachery.

"Ginny, call Remus back," Ron suddenly exclaimed, realising what was going on. "Abby, we have to stun him, now!"

But before they could cast a spell, Smith abruptly pulled back his sleeve, revealing a wand and Fred's voice suddenly erupted through every communication mirror, echoing loudly through the warehouse and causing everyone's blood to run cold.

"The Muggle company has been traced back to Zabini Corp. I repeat, the Muggle building company belongs to Blaise Zabini. It's a trap, people! Get out of there!"

Abigail felt sudden panic gripping at her sides. She turned to face her team mates, but suddenly, all three of them were thrown backwards into the air, as the back entrance to the warehouse next to them exploded into millions of pieces.

BOOM!

Abigail hit the concrete floor hard and gave a howl of pain, but quickly lifted her head up to see dozens of Death Eaters emerge from the cloud of dust uplifted from the explosion. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight before her and she recoiled in fright.

"Capture as many as you can!" a deep voice shouted and immediately the multitude of black-robed figures flooded the building.

"Team Red, can you hear me? Get out of there, it's an order!" Fred's voice bellowed through the mirrors.

"Merlin, help us!" Abigail heard Ron mutter under his breath seeing the swarm of Death Eaters storming into the warehouse and headed towards them.

Snapping back to her senses, Abigail rolled towards the nearest stack of wooden boxes. She ducked behind it quickly as three curses headed straight for her. Before she could even catch her breath, several of the boxes exploded into the air, shooting shards of wood everywhere and forcing her to scramble to her feet and sprint from her hiding place to the next nearest shelter she could find; a steel metal pillar.

Abigail barely hid behind it that Death Eaters immediately appeared on either side of her. She ducked, her training kicking in and red and blue spells crossed each other, hitting the nearest Death Eater in the chest and the other in the shoulder, causing both of them to yelp in pain.

"_Stupefy!_" Abigail yelled instantly at the nearest Death Eater and swiftly kicked the other in the gut, before running away to another stack of boxes. She could hear more footsteps and shouts behind her and sent several stunning spells over her shoulder before diving behind a large wooden box full of metal pieces.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, think Abby, think!" she muttered to herself, peering through a gap between the boxes and spotting three more Death Eaters after her. But her mind kept thinking about Ron and Ginny, who were nowhere in sight. Shouts and screams echoed throughout the warehouse, but she couldn't distinguish them well enough to recognise her team mates' voices.

Pulling out her mirror, Abigail silently thanked Merlin that it wasn't cracked or broken. She called out Ron's name, but there was no answer and so she tried Ginny instead.

"Ginny," she whispered urgently, her eyes flicking between the mirror and her enemies in the gap between the boxes. "Ginny!"

"Abby!"

Ginny's distressed face suddenly appeared in the mirror and Abigail sighed in relief. "Abby, we have to get out of here!" her teammate exclaimed in a panicked voice, apparently crouched behind a fallen over Muggle forklift truck as boxes exploded around her. "Where's Ron? We've got to find him, he's got the Portkey!"

"I don't know, he's not answering. We need to contact Moody first," she informed her, thinking about the orders they were given at headquarters.

"I already have, he's coming over with the White team. They'll help us get out of here," Ginny answered, rolling on her side to hex a Death Eater. "Where are you?"

"Behind a pile of boxes. Don't bother trying to find me; I'll come to you," she told her, taking another peek through the gap and spotting the forklift on the other side of the warehouse.

"Hurry then, I can't hold them back much longer, there are so many of them! See if you can spot Ron as well."

Her face disappeared abruptly and Abigail heard a loud bang in the distance. Feeling her heart skip a beat, she whipped around to peer over the boxes and saw giant flames leap up from Ginny's hiding place.

"Ginny," she breathed out and suddenly leapt out from behind the boxes in order to rescue her friend.

"_Expelliarmus!_" she shouted, taking two Death Eaters by surprise and catching their wands as they flew towards her. The third one had already sent a jet of blue light at her, which bounced off her shield and hit him back in the shoulder. He soared across the warehouse and into one of the metal pillars.

"When will you learn that I'm protected against your hexes?" she jeered angrily, snapping the two wands in half. She then stunned one of them and used the Imperio curse on the other.

She then launched herself towards the nearest pillar, narrowly dodging a Cruciatus curse sent her way and ordered the Death Eater under her control to attack the ones that had caused the fire. She stuck her head out from behind the pillar quickly, looking for Ginny among the chaos of exploding boxes, junk and flames and spotted her hiding behind another stack of boxes nearby, sending curse after curse in every direction.

"Good one, Gin," Abigail said to herself, relieved, and then proceeded to look for Ron. In less than ten minutes, the ground floor of the building had become a scene of chaos with dozens of boxes and their contents having blown up in every direction and a couple of fires blazing in the middle.

_We need to get out of here and fast!_

Her eyes desperately scanned every inch of the warehouse she could see, yet she did not dare look down at the corpses on the floor in case she might recognise somebody. A piercing scream echoed on her far right and she saw a flash of red hair twitching on the ground by the metal staircase.

Abigail didn't hesitate and sprinted towards Ron, hexing Death Eaters out of her way and dodging their jinxes. As she rounded a large pile of cardboard boxes, she halted as her eyes spotted her team leader and everything seemed to momentarily freeze. Ron lay sprawled on the floor by the staircase in a pool of his own blood, his knees drawn up to his chest, one of his arms still twitching.

A Death Eater was standing above him, laughing raucously.

Instantly, Abigail stepped forward past the stack of boxes to hex the black-robed figure, but she was abruptly hit in the face by a powerful punch, knocking the air out of her and causing her to fall back on the floor, hard.

"Abigail, such a pleasure to see you again," a rich voice mocked over her. Her wrist jerked to the side violently as her wand was kicked out of her hand. "Please, there's really no need for you to stand up."

"Blaise," she coughed, rolling to her side in pain.

"Correct," he replied, kneeling beside her, his wand pointed at her neck. "You see, you know me so well Abby."

"You're fucking insane for sure," she said through gritted teeth and then suddenly caught sight of Ron screaming and rolling over in pain again, barely a few meters away from her.

"What are you doing to him?" she asked angrily, gliding her hand discreetly along her side as soon as Blaise's attention was turned away.

"Oh, him, I let Dolohov do what he does best; bone-breaking curse and the Cruciatus of course," he explained, an eerie triumphant grin on his dark face. "Looks like we're the winners tonight."

As he turned back to face her, Abigail grabbed hold of the dagger hanging from her belt and pulled it out to stab him in his leg with all her might. Blaise recoiled instantly, roaring in pain and falling backwards. She lunged for her wand and picked it up just as Dolohov appeared by his leader's side. She leapt backwards, aiming her wand at Blaise just as Mad Eye Moody and his team apparated to the warehouse.

"This isn't - over," Blaise fumed, clutching his leg and gasping in pain.

Before Abigail could hex either one of them, Dolohov pointed his wand at the metal staircase.

"_Reducto!_" he shouted, blasting away the metal pillar supporting the upper floor of the warehouse.

Abigail's eyes went wide with dread. "NO!"

But it was too late. The two Death Eaters had already Portkeyed away and the loose office floor came tumbling down towards Ron, lying immobile on the stone floor.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Abigail cried out to the crashing floor and the largest slab of concrete barely stopped in mid-air, swerving dangerously above Ron, before it collapsed a few feet away from him. Abigail quickly went to remove the other bits and pieces of rubble that had fallen on her team leader and finally uncovered an arm. Removing the rest of the stone rubble, she winced as she caught sight of Ron's legs sticking out at an odd angle and the many cuts and bruises revealed under his shredded black clothes.

"Oh, Ron," Abigail whispered in a terrified voice as she knelt beside him quickly to check his pulse. It was very faint. She immediately pulled off several potion vials from her belt and tilted his head to pour the contents down his throat. However, neither her potions nor her healing spells seemed to have much effect.

"Let's get you back to Headquarters," she said gently, reaching inside his breast pocket for an old maroon sock. The orders had been clear: leave the warehouse as quickly as possible, but Abigail simply couldn't leave Ginny behind. Ron would never forgive her if something happened to his little sister and Ginny would probably do the same if Abigail didn't Portkey Ron away immediately.

Rolling the sock around Ron's hand, she tapped it lightly with her wand three times and muttered "Phoenix". The sock shimmered for a second and then suddenly vanished from her sight taking Ron with it. The two girls would have to find another Portkey back to the Order Headquarters.

Suddenly hearing heavy footsteps behind her, Abigail whipped around, wand in hand and spotted Ginny sprinting towards her, followed by two large Death Eaters.

"Abby, watch out!"

A bright red jet of light whizzed past the Weasley girl and ricocheted off Abigail's shield before hitting the opposite wall. A second curse flew past them and caused the mountain of boxes ahead of the girls to explode with a loud bang!

"_Flagrate!_" Abigail shouted, taking refuge behind another box as Ginny sent her special Bat-Bogey hex at the other Death Eater. Abigail quickly stupefied the first Death Eater as Ginny knocked out the other one, who was tearing at his mask as his face was smothered with flapping wings.

"Brilliant, Gin!" Abigail told her, looking down at the Death Eater and recognising Mulciber.

"I love that curse," she replied catching her breath and casting anti-Disapparition jinxes on both men.

However, the fighting was still going on at the other end of the warehouse. Abigail barely distinguished Moody and Bill Weasley, in the darkness, duelling, back to back, with several Death Eaters. The two girls sprinted over to help them; dodging spreading fires and curses sent their way.

Without warning, a purple flash whizzed past Ginny and hit Abigail in the chest, shattering her shield for good. Abigail gasped in pain as the curse sent her flying backwards towards the opposite brick wall and crash through a glass window, where she disappeared into the darkness of the outside courtyard.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Abigail briefly opened her eyes. She tried to remember where on earth she was, but everything around her was swimming and her body ached as if thousands of knives were stabbing her all at once. In the distance, she could hear people shouting and the sounds of running footsteps. She could feel the ground shake beneath her as jets of light flashed before her eyes, before she slipped back into unconsciousness.

A long time had passed when Abigail suddenly heard footsteps on her left steadily running towards her.

"She's here!" a voice rang out above her.

A second set of footsteps were heard; a dull clunk with every other step.

"Serpent! Wake up, Serpent!"

"She must have gone through that window. I'll try to heal her wounds, but I'm not sure about her shoulder though… Moody, what in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"Hold her still Lupin. Her shoulder's simply dislocated, we need to put in back in its socket before she wakes up."

"Moody, wait, I don't think that's such a good –"

CRACK!

"AAARGH!" Abigail screamed, suddenly jerking to reality as her shoulder was twisted back into place.

"Here drink this," she heard Remus's voice above her before some cool blue liquid was poured down her throat. She swallowed the potion obediently and instantly the pain in her body started to decrease. Slowly opening her eyes, she noticed tiny black spots of exhaustion flecking her vision.

She barely distinguished the two silhouettes of Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody in the dark kneeling above her. Remus looked even more worn out than usual as the remains of his black and blue combat robes barely clung on to him. There was a definite look of defeat on his face. Moody, on the other hand, seemed impatient for some more action and his magical eye kept spinning around in its socket, looking out for Death Eaters.

"Come on Serpent, we need your help," he growled, wrenching her up into a sitting position. She cried out in pain from the sudden movement, tears appearing in her eyes. "Think you can still fight?"

"Moody," she said between deep breaths. "You might be my boss - but sometimes - I really, really hate you."

"If you've got enough energy to talk back, then you've got enough to fight!" he said in return, slapping her on the back. "Lupin, help her up."

Remus did as he was told, gently pulling Abigail to her feet.

"Remus, what's going on?" she asked drowsily, noticing the dark courtyard and the dying fires within the warehouse. "What happened?"

"I didn't see what happened to you exactly, I was too busy trying to save my own skin," he told her, swinging her arm around his shoulders to help her walk as Moody was busy talking to his communicator. "Merlin, I don't believe those bastards managed to set up a trap! They killed Smith as soon as they saw him. I didn't have time to Portkey him back to Headquarters and then I got caught up in the battle. I spotted Ginny at one point. She told me that you had been thrown somewhere outside. She was frantic, she tried to find you, but couldn't. And then, when the Death Eaters realised that we were retreating, they started Portkeying away with members of the Order, right under our noses! Roberts was the first to be taken and then –"

He paused and looked down at her with an anxious expression on his face.

"Abby, they took Kingsley," he finally let out.

Abigail felt her blood run cold as she heard her friend's name.

"They all Disapparated after that and Moody and I stayed behind to find you," he continued gloomily, looking defeated. "We're the only ones left that can save Kinglsey and Roberts and we'll need you to Apparate us to wherever they've been taken."

"Of course," she answered faintly, trying not to think of the worse for the two kidnapped Order members.

"They're at Lestrange Castle," Moody spoke up behind them. "Our spies just confirmed it to Weasley."

Remus and Abigail both froze at his words.

"Are they sure?" Remus said in a strangled voice, turning her head to face Moody, his eyes gone wide.

Moody nodded grimly back at him. Abigail remained silent, a look of horror on her face. Lestrange castle hadn't been used as a prison since the first war against Voldemort. It was more feared among the Order than Azkaban because of the horrific stories its prisoners had reported. Surely Malfoy would never have agreed to use that place again.

"Our orders are to Apparate there, find Roberts and Shacklebolt and then Portkey back to Headquarters," Moody continued, looking gravely at both of them. "There's only one Portkey left, so whoever's left behind, stays behind. Serpent, can you side-Apparate all three of us there?"

"The castle will be too heavily guarded with anti-Apparition wards. I'm too weak to Apparate all three of us directly inside the castle, but I can probably make it to the castle grounds," she told him, alarmed by the critical situation they were in.

"That's good enough," Moody answered, pulling out his wand. "Let's go then."

"Wait, Moody, what's the plan once we get there?" Remus asked quickly, worry written all over his face.

Moody took hold of Abigail's arm, ready to be side-Apparated as his scarred face looked up to Remus and gave him a crooked smile.

"There is no plan. We improvise."

**..~**~..**

* * *

They landed in a patch of thorny bushes overlooking from a distance the great medieval Lestrange castle with several of its towers falling to ruins. The night was dark and the cold air blew in their faces as they looked upon the castle before them. It was of a simple medieval square design with four towers in each corner and was encircled with forests and wasteland. Abigail could barely see her companions beside her as the moon wasn't out that night and only just distinguished the castle in the distance from the candlelit windows. She didn't dare light her wand for fear of being seen, although it was impossible to tell whether any Death Eaters were roaming on the grounds between the castle and the limit of the woodlands where the three of them were standing.

"Moody, I can't see a damn thing," Remus whispered to her left, trying to unhook his cloak from the prickly thorns. "We'll get caught before we even set foot in the castle."

"It's a spell," Moody muttered in return, more to himself than to Remus. "Much like Instant Darkness Powder, but its everywhere around the castle… very cunning."

Abigail shifted closer to him, trying to recall any spell that could cause such darkness.

"I can't think of any counter-curse to it without giving away our presence," she pointed out, suddenly realising the hopelessness of the situation. "What do you suggest we do?"

"One of us needs to sneak in and find Shacklebolt and Roberts while the others take care of the Death Eaters," he answered confidently, rummaging through his cloak for something.

Abigail turned to look at Remus, whose face looked just as doubtful as hers.

"Serpent," Moody continued, pulling out some unidentifiable objects from inside his pocket, "you go in and find the others whilst Lupin and I will deal with the Death Eaters. Once you find them, report back to us through that mind thing you do and we'll come join you and Portkey away."

All colour sudddenly drained from Remus' face. "Bloody hell Moody, that's the plan?" he protested as quietly as he could. "Are you insane? Abigail's supposed to waltz into Lestrange castle as we battle on dozens of Death Eaters and then somehow join her back inside?"

Abigail looked up fretfully at the castle and then back at Moody. "He's got a point you know."

"Quit yapping!" Moody growled at them, thrusting the mysterious objects at Remus before digging out some more. "I've got a plan and if you follow my orders as I say, then we'll all make it back to Grimmauld Place alive. Just remember that whilst you keep arguing with me, two of our members are in there going through hell. Now Serpent, get going and wait for the signal – you'll know it when you see it."

He patted her shoulder awkwardly as Remus tried to give her a reassuring smile and she set off, stepping cautiously out of the bushes and into the darkness.

"And remember," she heard Moody grunt at her from behind. "Constant vigilance!"

**..~**~..**

* * *

Abigail moved swiftly and silently through the gardens and statues of Lestrange castle, heading towards the nearest ground level window she could distinguish. More than once she stabbed her foot on tree roots or hit her arm against some sort of decorative statue, as she walked almost blindly through the dark grounds, preventing herself from crying out in pain. She listened very carefully for any noises the whole time, all her senses on alert for any nearby enemy.

When she finally spotted the castle wall before her, she crouched low behind a tall marble statue, depicting one of Lestrange's ancestors, and peered carefully from behind the base to spot any possible Death Eaters guarding the grounds. She could neither hear nor see anyone around and found it strange that no one had thought about positioning guards outside. Keeping low to the ground, she moved swiftly towards the ragged stone wall and pressed her body against it, looking anxiously around for any sign of movement, wand in hand.

Still, there was nothing.

She crept below one of the ground floor windows and peered discreetly inside, spotting several black-hooded men standing inside, talking among themselves. She counted five and then crouched low again, waiting for the signal. Abigail sat waiting, cold and tired. The potion Remus had given her was wearing off and the pain in her shoulder was re-awakening. Her main thought though was anxiety and it wasn't for herself. She knew full well what tortures the Death Eaters were probably using on Kingsley at that very moment and she truly feared for her friend's life.

Crouched silently underneath the glass-paned window, she continued looking left and right for any sign of movement, until suddenly, she heard rustling in the rose bushes several feet ahead of her. A few seconds later, two dark figures appeared, talking amongst themselves. Abigail could barely distinguish them among the darkness, but she knew for sure that they were Death Eaters. They apparently hadn't spotted her yet, but would do within seconds in they kept coming her way.

_Stay where you are, come on stop moving, stay where you are damn it!_

Abigail stayed perfectly still, holding her breath in and silently wishing the two figures wouldn't come any closer. She didn't dare step backwards for fear of them hearing her.

And suddenly, as though answering her prayers, an ear-piercing whistle and several shrieks echoed from the over side of the castle, followed by multiple loud bangs, shaking the entire castle grounds and even the unsteady stone walls. Abigail instantly plugged her ears with her hands, not being able to stand the high-pitched noise, which shattered the glass windows above her to pieces.

The two Death Eaters disappeared just as quickly as they had arrived and as soon as the noise died down, Abigail quickly realised that it had been Moody's signal. She peered inside the room above her head once more, brushing off the broken glass from her hair and shoulders and then, slipped inside the castle through the broken window. She landed in a small study, with a large desk and plush chairs, where the Death Eaters had previously been standing. Moving swiftly towards the door, she peeked out into the corridor quickly and realised that it was empty. Tip-toeing out of the study, wand at the ready, she moved silently among the many corridors and passageways in search of the grand entrance staircase, where the door leading to the basement was located.

Coming to the end of yet another corridor and after stunning and hiding a couple of Death Eaters she had come across, Abigail slowly distinguished the large golden ramp of the main castle staircase. Halting underneath the stairs, in the shadows, she saw a small wooden door ahead of her and opened it quietly, finding a small stone staircase leading down into darkness. Smiling to herself, she made her way inside, careful to close the door behind her and light her wand. She stepped down carefully, listening out for any noises or voices, but heard none. She finally stepped down the stairs and into a damp and cold passageway, lit with torches and with blood streaks on the walls. Abigail felt her stomach turn into a knot and refusing to take a closer look at the blood to see whether it was fresh or not, she began to explore the basement in search of Kingsley and Roberts and trying to remember her way around.

She proceeded down a narrow corridor, which quickly led her past an open doorway, which in turn led to a corridor of cages. The filthy corridor, splattered with blood and grime, strangely reminded her of Malfoy Manor, when she had found her father locked up in the basement so many years ago. The cells looked all empty except for some iron shackles and muddy straw beds and yet, Abigail was sure she could feel a presence inside. Slowly, she stepped through the doorway and along the row of cages, until she reached one of the last cells. Inside, crouched in a far corner, stood a dark figure.

Abigail quickly realised it was a man, not much older than herself, crouched in a foetal position with his head in his hands. He was wearing tattered dark robes, covered in mud and dried up blood and seemed to be mumbling to himself.

Hearing her footsteps, the man suddenly looked up at her, revealing a familiar face.

"You!" Abigail exclaimed, her dark eyes instantly narrowing in dislike.

The man froze as he recognised her in return. "Abigail."

It was Christopher Bailey, also known as Puddlemere United's famous Chaser, Ginny's ex-boyfriend and Ryan's father. Abigail hadn't seen him since the day he had left Ginny, but she still disliked him for it.

"What in Merlin's beard are you doing here, Serpent?" he asked dumbfounded, deciding to stand up on his feet. His pale skin was covered in dirt and dark rims circled his eyes.

Abigail paused. She wasn't too sure how to respond without telling him about the Order of the Phoenix.

"I'm here to rescue friends," she told him. "And you?"

He looked back at her with wide eyes. "I'm been captured of course! I've been here for the past three days! Haven't the papers been talking about my disappearance yet?"

Abigail tried not to roll her eyes at his incessant vanity. "No, I haven't heard anything. What happened?"

He stepped closer, trying to brush off the dirt incrusted into his robes, before gripping the metal bars of his cell. "The Death Eaters have been pestering me to join them ever since I left Hogwarts. My family is Pureblood you see, and since my grandfather was a Death Eater during the First War, Lestrange and his lot have been trying to get hold of me to replace him. They finally decided to kidnap me instead and force me into service!"

"Wait a minute, you know that Lestrange is a Death Eater and you're still alive?" she asked astounded.

His eyes narrowed for a second, before he answered. "Well, as you can see, they don't plan on keeping me alive much longer unless I join them! Now quit asking questions and get me out of here!"

But Abigail stepped away, continuing to watch him intently. "Sorry Bailey, but I don't think I believe you. I might not have known you for very long, but I know enough to say that you would have sold your soul rather than miss the Quidditch World Cup!"

She paused and seeing the desperate expression suddenly appear on his face, added. "Look, I honestly don't have time to figure out which side you're on, I have to save my friends. But I promise I'll contact the Aurors and they'll get you out of here once my friends are safe. Someone will come rescue you one way or another."

She turned away, heading back to the doorway, but heard his voice crying out behind her.

"Serpent, wait! You can't leave me here, they'll kill me! They'll kill me like they killed my sister!"

Abigail froze and turned around to face him again. "Your sister? When?"

"About a week ago," he told her, in a strangled voice. "I'd barely come home from her funeral when I was kidnapped and taken here. Serpent please, you have to let me out of here!"

She battled with her mind for a few seconds before holding out her wand and unlocking the metal cell door. However, before Bailey could move, she stepped inside and grabbed him by the collar.

"One wrong move and I'll kill you myself Bailey, understood?" she told him fiercely. "I never trusted you and I still hate you for what you did to Ginny, but I guess I'm too good to let you rot here even if I was a Slytherin."

She let go of him, pushing him away slightly before stepping out of the cell. "Now, do you by any chance happen to know where my friend might have been taken?"

"The torture chamber," he answered instantly, smoothing out his robes, "that's where they took me the first time. I can show you the way."

Abigail looked more closely at him this time and noticed the burn marks on his forearms and legs and her expression softened slightly. Fumbling around with her belt, she eventually took out a potion vial from it and roughly shoved it into his hand.

"Drink that," she told him, walking back out of the corridor. "It'll help numb the pain till we can get out of here. Now, stay close behind me and don't make a sound."

**..~**~..**

* * *

They walked silently a few minutes among the gloomy passageways, hearing only the scuttling of rats along the walls or the dripping of water from the moist ceiling. Abigail took no notice of her surroundings but walked on hastily, now desperate to find Kingsley and Roberts and get the hell out of the castle.

She led on, following Bailey's instructions around the maze until they suddenly heard faint voices in the distance.

"It's there," he whispered to her, pointing to a small wooden door at the end of the dark passageway. "That's where they took me and – well you get the picture."

She nodded and approached silently, motioning to Chris to stay put. As she cautiously crept up to the door, she heard the voices getting louder and realised that one of them was screaming.

Knowing she had to warn the others before she attempted anything, Abigail closed her eyes, trying to block out the screams and shouts around her and picturing Remus in her mind.

"Remus, get to the main entrance staircase now!" she called out to him through her mind. "Found the others in the basement, someone will lead you to us from the staircase."

Turning back, she returned to where Bailey was standing.

"I need you to go back and find my friends," she explained to him and before he could protest, she added. "They have a Portkey, they're the only ones who can get us out of here! Meet them at the basement door, they'll be waiting for you. Bring them back here and then we can get the hell out of this place!"

As she finished, a piercing shriek erupted from the dark corridor and Abigail felt her blood run cold. Bailey, beside her, had turned ghostly white at the sound.

"What – what was that?" he asked in terror.

"Go now!" Abigail said sharply, taking off towards the torture chamber, her wand aching to hex whoever had caused her friend to scream in such a inhuman way. Behind her, Bailey staggered off quickly into darkness as Abigail faced the closed, small wooden door.

"_Reduto!_" she shouted, blasting the door into hundreds of wooden shards.

Immediately the raucous laughing inside the chamber stopped and Abigail quickly side-stepped into the shadows by the doorway until two bulky men in black robes ran out. She stunned them, taking them by surprise and taking particular pleasure in snapping both their wands in half before walking inside the chamber.

It was a dark place lit by a couple of torches on either side with a table and chair in the middle, the latter covered in blood. However, she hardly took any notice as she spotted Kingsley lying on his side in a pool of blood, cradling his left arm.

Forgetting all about Constance Vigilance and her training, Abigail rushed towards her teammate, but a green jet of light hit her squarely in the chest stopping her midway. Her shield no longer protecting her, she flew backwards, crashing against the stone wall.

She fought against the pain, refusing to let her consciousness slip and wand in hand, immediately sent a curse at her attacker.

"_Stupefy!_" she yelled, panting heavily, but to her utter surprise no sparks erupted from her wand, nothing happened at all.

_Holy shit!_

Too busy watching her wand in horror, Abigail didn't avoid the Death Eater in time, who swiftly grabbed her by the collar of her robes and knocked her wand away, lifting her up to her feet. Abigail immediately recognised him as he pulled off his mask. It was Rodolphus Lestrange, the Death Eater driven mad by the loss of his wife – Bellatrix. His eyes were gleaming with excitement and anger as she vainly tried to struggle against his grip.

"Serpent," he spat out, his wand pointing at her neck. "You're too late, little girl, far too late to save him!"

At his words, Abigail couldn't help but look down at Kingsley lying on the floor. He was completely still and his clothes were now drenched in blood. She looked back at Lestrange and seeing his smile grow even wider, anger, such as Abigail had never felt before, suddenly erupted throughout her body.

"You bastard!" she hissed and promptly kicked her knee up in his crotch. Lestrange doubled over in pain and she grabbed him by the cloak, smashing him headfirst into the stonewall. He fell on the side, clasping his head, but before Abigail could grab him again, he thrust his hand into his pocket and disapparated from the chamber.

Abigail stopped short, breathing heavily and sighing in relief that he had gone. Remembering Kingsley, she ran back towards him, falling to her knees next to him.

"Kingsley!" she called to him, turning him over gently on his back. "Kingsley, it's Abigail!"

She gasped in horror as he turned over and she suddenly saw the reason why Kingsley had been cradling his arm. His forearm was covered in blood flowing freely from his severed hand, which had been cut off by magic and laid a few feet away from him, a trail of blood behind it.

"Kiddo, you're here," she heard him whisper faintly, his body convulsing in pain as he coughed loudly. Abigail tried not to take any notice of the blood leaking from his mouth and smiled back at him instead.

"You're safe now, I'm here," she murmured, her smile faltering. "Merlin Kinglsey, what have they done to you?"

"Nothing I wasn't prepared for - when I signed up, Serpent," he told her faintly, looking at her through half-open eyes. Each breath he took seemed to be more and more difficult and Abigail wasn't surprised as she noticed all the injuries inflicted on his body.

"It'll be okay Kingsley, we'll get you out of here," she soothed him, using her wand as best as she could to stop the bleeding. "Remus and Moody are on their way, they've got a Portkey and they'll get you back to Headquarters."

He looked at her intently, lying still on his back, as she was tore her cloak and used a piece of fabric to wrap around his stump.

"It's too late for me Serpent," he said gently, coughing up some more blood. "You need to get out - Roberts – he's tied up in the room next door – now leave!"

But Abigail continued to bandage his arm stubbornly, shaking her head at him. "No, I'm not leaving without you!" she said sternly. "I'm not leaving you behind Kingsley, the Order take care of their own, remember? Moody will be here any second, you'll see! It'll be fine, you'll be okay, we'll get you back, we can fix this –"

"Abby –" he cut her off softly.

She fell silent instantly, her hands frozen above his bandage. Never before during their years together had he called her by her nickname.

"Abby - I'm dying."

The softness of his voice and the calmness in his eyes suddenly caused her to panic again.

"No, Kinglsey, you're not going to die," she continued stubbornly, picking up the bandage again and looking over her shoulder for any sign of the others. "The others will be here any second now, we'll bring you back Kingsley, I promise you we'll bring you back!"

He closed his eyes in response and panic suddenly seized at her heart. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard.

"No, Kingsley! Please, don't close your eyes!" she called out to him, angrily brushing away any tears in her eyes. "Come on, stay with me! Damn it, Kingsley, don't do this to me!"

He opened his eyes again slowly, although it seemed to almost be torture for him to stay conscious. Abigail felt her heart skip with relief.

"I'm glad – I'm glad you're here with me," he said, barely above a whisper. "Tell Dumbledore – I was honoured – tell him - the Order is safe – they know nothing."

Abigail suddenly realised that there was nothing she could do to save her friend. The bandage she had wrapped around Kingsley's stump was already soaked in blood and he was coughing up blood as well with every breath. Letting go of his shoulders, she picked up his cold hand in her own instead.

"Kingsley," she whispered softly, blinking back her own tears. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I didn't make it in time."

His lips curved into a brief smile before his eyes closed shut again. Abigail remained silent as she watched her friend, the bravest member of the Order she had known, take his final breath.

**..~**~..**

* * *

"Oh, thank Merlin, they're back!" Mrs. Weasley cried out as soon as she spotted the group of wizards appear out of nowhere and fall to the kitchen floor.

Abigail didn't look up, barely registering what was happening around her as random members of the Order flooded into the kitchen at their arrival. Roberts was immediately taken upstairs on a stretcher and Moody barked out orders whilst explaining to Arthur and Bill Weasley what had happened and why Bailey was with them. Abigail remained silent the whole time, peering down at the body lying at her feet and wrapped in her cloak.

"Lupin, take the body upstairs to one of the rooms," Moody told him quietly, after answering everyone's frantic questions as best as he could. "It's best if no one sees him like this."

"I'll take him," Abigail told them, still looking down at her friend.

"No Abby, it's okay, I've got it," Remus told her gently. "You need someone to take a look at your injuries and get some rest."

He left, silently conjuring a spell on the body to lift it up in the air. Abigail watched them with her eyes until they disappeared out of the kitchen and soon found herself surrounded by members of the Order, all asking her what had happened.

"Hey, leave her alone," Fred yelled at them, but Abigail barely heard him as she pushed her way past them, leaving the kitchen for the hallway. She stripped herself of her armour as she went, throwing it left and right in disgust as she climbed up the stairs towards the training room.

She had been too late!

She should have done more, she should have saved Kinsgley in time! If only she had left Bailey to rot in his cage, if only she had directly apparated inside the castle, if only - but it was no use, her friend was dead, her friend, who was a brilliant Auror, one of the original members of the Order, who was a husband and father, was dead.

And her powers - her stupid powers were failing her! She had stopped helping Malfoy, stopped being neutral to the war and so because of her damned family code, her magic was leaving her - it wasn't bloody fair!

Uncontrollable anger started brewing inside of her and as she reached the training room, she stormed inside, lashing out at everything in sight, throwing any book or weapon she could get her hands on and kicking every table and chair in her way. Luckily, the room was empty and after throwing in anger everything she could find, Abigail proceeded to knock around the large black punching bag hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the room instead. She fisted, punched and kicked it with all her might, unleashing all her anger. She continued to lash out at the punching ball, crying out with rage against the loss of her friend, but mostly against herself. Blinded with fury, she refused to stop even when her knuckles eventually became raw and started to bleed.

She didn't even notice the door abruptly open and then close behind her.

"Abigail."

She halted as soon as she heard the voice, her chest breathing hard and her knuckles dripping with blood.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed angrily, refusing to turn around.

"Hermione sent for me about an hour ago. I heard what happened and I was worried about you. Abby, I'm sor-"

"Shut it," she cut him off abruptly, turning around to face the intruder who was dressed in full Quidditch gear. "You don't get to come after me and say you're sorry, Potter."

Harry remained still, watching the blood drip from her hands before staring back into her dark eyes. "I know how close you were to him, I heard that he was your trainer -"

"You don't know anything!" she yelled back in his face. "You weren't here, you don't know a damn thing about him or anybody else anymore, Harry! You weren't here when I was assigned to his team, you weren't here when he saved my ass more times than I can remember because I was stupid and rash - you - you weren't the one who had to watch him die!"

Abigail suddenly felt her voice crack and her body started shaking all over.

"He was my friend - he was my friend and I couldn't even save him! After everything he did for me, I should have been there for him, I should have prevented it, but I was too late - I arrived too late and there was blood - Merlin, there was blood everywhere!"

Tears spilled from her eyes, leaking down on her cheeks, as she tried to continue, tried to shout out her pain to Harry, but instead she just stood there gasping for air as her body shook and she cried loudly, grieving for her friend.

Harry caught her in his arms, before she collapsed to the ground and held her, as she continued to cry out loud.

"It shouldn't have ended like this - it was a trap! It was a bloody trap - Kingsley was taken and I tried - damn it, I tried -"

"It's not your fault Abby, you did everything you could," Harry said soothingly, stroking her hair. "You did your best and if you could have saved him, then I know you would have. The Death Eaters are to blame for what happened tonight and nobody else, don't you ever forget that."

She remained in his arms, clinging to his jumper until she finally calmed down and Harry convinced her to rest in one of the bedrooms and let Hannah Abbott take a look at her injuries.

She didn't speak another word that night. She was left alone in bed to rest and recover and wasn't even asked to attend the debriefing in the early hours of the morning when Dumbledore arrived at Grimmauld Place. She remained in bed, thinking about her friend, thinking about the night's events and finally realising exactly who was to blame for his death.

Malfoy.

**..~**~..**

* * *

The next morning, Abigail broke into Amelia Bones' office at the Ministry unnoticed and left a letter written in blood on her desk along with a note sealed with the Serpent family crest. As she left the office, she didn't notice the front page of the latest edition of the Daily Prophet lying on the wooden desk: "_Boy Who Vanquished Stands Up For Serpent!_"

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Thanks for leaving a review and yes, you can most definitely tell me off for being absent so long! **

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! xxx**


	13. Bad Day

**Hey everyone, welcome back! I know you've all been waiting for this chapter for over a year! Anyway, here's chapter 13 complete! A big thank you to everyone who keeps reviewing, you're the ones that make me keep on writing :)**

******..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 13

* * *

Draco put the cup of tea down on the pure white marble table, before sitting back in his chair.

"So, do we have an agreement?" he demanded.

His host stared blankly back at him, his thick moustache twitching slightly at Draco's words.

"I don't think I made myself clear enough the first time," he began, scratching his cheek as he spoke and fixing his eyes like a hawk on the blonde-haired man before him. "My clan does not like to collaborate with foreigners such as yourself, nothing good has ever come out of it for us. We will only come to an agreement when someone with our heritage leads your so-called 'Death Eaters'."

"And I regret to inform you, Don Carlo, that that will never be the case," Draco retorted, standing up from his seat, ready to depart. He had known all alone his father's ex-business partners and ex-supporters of Voldemort in Italy would never agree to join forces with him, especially since Don Carlo had become the Italian Minister of Magic and needed to be more careful about his deals with dark wizards. His clan, the most powerful of all wizarding Italy, hated all foreigners and had only agreed to help Voldemort so many years ago because they had feared him.

Unfortunately for Draco, his presence in Italy did not inspire the same fear and respect as it did back in England.

The Italian Lord continued to look at him curiously, lazily twirling a glass of wine in one hand, while stroking his moustache with the other. "'Never be the case'?" he repeated slyly, obviously hoping to provoke his young guest. "Is that so, Lord Malfoy? On the contrary, I have heard through various sources that young Blaise Zabini leads by your side and that he has even more ambition than you do. I am most interested in him and intend to meet with him soon. However, if my clan finally decides to do business with Death Eaters, then it will be when Zabini is in power and no one else."

Draco could hear his heart pound in his ears with anger, but his face remained expressionless as he continued to listen to the old Italian fool.

"We know all too well how the Malfoy family works. We once struck a deal with your father after the Dark Lord's return. I have yet to receive my share of the benefits," he continued, his dark eyes narrowing with dislike.

"I am not my father," Draco hissed in return, taking his cloak back from the tiny house-elf, which had suddenly appeared in the open courtyard. Draco had been discussing business with his Italian host for the past three days now, whilst staying at his villa in Sicily; and it had all been for nothing.

"Hmm… well at least you made the right decision to adopt a more manly hairstyle than your father," Don Carlo replied amused, sipping the rest of his wine.

Forcing himself not to hex the Italian Minister, Draco quickly bid him goodbye and left the luxurious villa, ready to return to England.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Harry remained silent as he watched the coffin lower into the ground. A large crowd had gathered for Kingsley's funeral, not only friends and family but also several Ministry workers, who had known and respected the long-time Auror and of course, the press.

A line started to form around the burial site, people dressed in black and holding a single red rose in their hands, ready to say their adieu. Harry watched closely as Ginny walked up to the grave, murmured a few words before throwing in the flower and hurrying away. Hermione followed her and then came Abigail. The red streaks in her hair shone out among the sea of black and as she approached the grave, it blew in the gentle wind, hiding her face. She too threw her rose delicately on the coffin, muttering a few words before joining the rest of the Order standing a few feet away.

Harry wondered how they must have felt, all of them, to lose one of their own in such a tragic way. The Ministry of course had no knowledge of Kingsley's real cause of death, but had simply assumed he had been ambushed by Death Eaters. At least they weren't too far from the truth.

At long last, Harry said his goodbyes to his old friend and wandered off across the wizarding cemetery, gazing intently at the numerous headstones. His parents were not buried here, but he had been to this particular cemetery on several occasions since so many dear friends had been buried there.

He spotted the Weasley family standing around George's tombstone as Ginny kneeled down, a white bouquet in her hands.

Further along, he saw Remus and Mad-Eye Moody walk side by side towards Tonks' grave in silence.

It was too beautiful a day for such a mournful occasion and Harry sought out the shadows of the tall oak tress towards the end of the pathway only to suddenly realise that he wasn't alone.

Abigail was standing a few feet ahead of him, peering up at the tall memorial of a marble-sculpted wizard with a snake coiled around his arm, looking up into the sky, alongside a large winged horse. The Abraxan stallion had its head turned around, as if wanting to protect its master. At the base of the statue, making up the entrance of the burial vault, several wizard and witches names were engraved, including that of Abigail's mother, Selena Serpent.

Harry dared not come any closer. He had been to the Serpent burial vault before several years ago with Abigail, but decided instead to let her be and leaned against the closest oak trunk, watching out for her.

She stood straight looking up at the large marble monument, tracing her mother's name silently with her fingers.

It seemed everyone had someone to mourn now. The war had taken its toll but even three years later, things weren't getting any better and Harry was finally starting to realise it. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing after all then that he had come back and decided to be part of the Order again.

It was time to straighten out the Death Eaters once and for all, it was time to pick up the fight again and make things right.

**..~**~..**

* * *

"You WHAT?" Draco barked, his grey eyes flashing with fury. "What the hell do you mean, he's dead?"

Blaise stood in silence in the middle of the entrance hall as his master paced left and right, trying to make sense out of what had happened during his absence.

"I wanted all prisoners alive for interrogation, Blaise!" Draco continued in a threatening voice. "So why am I now hearing that one of the prisoners escaped while the other is dead?"

"We'd captured one of the Order's original members, Shacklebolt, and we knew Dumbledore's lot would do anything to get him back so we had to act fast," Blaise answered urgently, trying to calm his leader and friend down. "We couldn't wait for you Draco, within hours the Order was at the castle and somehow they managed to get in and rescue Shacklebolt and the other one."

"And on whose orders were you acting when you started the interrogation without me, Zabini?" Draco asked him coldly in return. He knew leaving Blaise in charge had been a bad idea, he obviously couldn't trust his old Slytherin friend anymore.

"I did what had to be done," he replied, looking back up at Draco.

Draco glanced at him, looking faintly amused. "Yes and such a fine job you did too. Who did the Order send to Lestrange castle?"

"Old Mad-Eye Moody, the werewolf and Abigail," Blaise told him, a downright sinful smile appearing on his lips. "They might have rescued their friends, but we've still got an advantage on them. The advantage I told you about before you left."

"Yes, so I remember," Draco sneered, quickly thinking to himself how to work out their next move. "Probably the only good thing that came out of this whole fiasco. What about Smith?"

"Dead."

"And did you get anything out of Shacklebolt before he died?"

"Nothing."

Draco's eyes narrowed to slit at his words. "I see."

Deciding to dismiss Blaise and plan the Death Eaters next move himself, he was surprised to suddenly see his second-in-command look back up at him defiantly; his dark eyes glittering angrily.

"But at least we did something," he growled, his hands curled up into fists. "It isn't exactly the revenge we wanted on the old fool and his golden boy, but at least it's something! It's been three long years Draco that we've been waiting to take action and get our revenge. For three years everyone has trusted you and put their faith in your plans, but now everyone's tired of waiting! We're getting incredibly impatient with you."

"Incredibly impatient?" Draco yelled back, suddenly losing his temper and quickly closing the distance between him and his so-called friend. "Is that all you can think about? Revenge? Whilst I've been busting my arse to assure us power and wealth, all you miserable Death Eaters can think about is revenge? Do you want to bring it all down and end up in Azkaban, Blaise? Is that want you want? Lose everything you have and join your father in prison? Because the moment the Ministry finds out what we're up to - that's it! We're over - finished! They'll be no new leader and no chance of exile for us, just Azkaban for the rest of our lives or worse, Dementors! Do you get that? We can't risk carrying out revenge until our power is secured and we have taken over the Ministry!"

His fists shaking slightly in anger, Draco fixed a surprised-looking Blaise in the eye. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, okay, I got it," he replied quickly, looking away from the angry pair of silver eyes. "But if we don't attempt something again soon, the others might start asking questions about their leader - my Lord."

Draco didn't like the way Blaise's face twisted into a smirk as he spoke. He was acting far too cocky for his own good.

"If anyone has a problem with the way I run things, then tell them to come and see me."

Draco was pleased to see how his words caused his second-in-command to shiver slightly. Sensing there could be no more discussion on the matter, Blaise bowed respectfully and quickly left the manor, leaving Draco alone with his thoughts.

_The others might start asking questions about their leader - my Lord._

Draco couldn't help but repeat the sentence over and over again in his mind, clouding his thoughts and his face.

_I wouldn't count on it, Blaise. I already know all your tricks - you learnt them all from me._

**..~**~..**

* * *

A few hours later, Draco was back in his office at Malfoy, Inc. trying to make sense of everything that had happened during his absence. Blaise had botched up his orders, but at least the Order hadn't got hold of Smith and they were obviously becoming more desperate for information.

After all, sending only three members on a suicide mission to Lestrange castle didn't seem like Dumbledore at all; he usually preferred sending the Order in teams, but then again, according to Blaise, many members were injured that night. And if what Lestrange had told Draco was true, then Abigail's powers were finally decreasing and so hopefully she would prove to be a lot more docile next time they met.

Running a hand through his hair, Draco stood up from his high-back office chair and sat down again in the leather couch, pouring himself a glass of Firewhiskey. His troubles were certainly not over yet. His trial at the Ministry was in two weeks and he still didn't know yet whether Dante's letter had been given to the Aurors or not.

_At least I have Granger,_ he thought, sitting back on the couch and enjoying his drink.

A knock was suddenly heard at his office door and his secretary, Miss Jones appeared, informing him that Granger was on her way to see him.

He nodded, picking up the Daily Prophet from the coffee table before him as he waited for her arrive. He skimmed through the main titles quickly before stopping on the third page, seeing the news of Kingsley Shacklebolt's death. The cause of his death of course had been covered up by the Order, making it sound as if he had been attacked by Death Eaters while on his way home. His funeral had taken place at the wizarding cemetery of London in the morning.

Whilst reading the article, Draco was suddenly disturbed by yet another knock on his door, which revealed Granger behind it. He lifted his head up and noticed that she was wearing a black blouse and skirt underneath black wizarding robes; she had evidently attended the funeral. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, revealing her pale face and large brown eyes, which stared back at him sadly.

"Miss Granger, surely you're not in need of more files for the case?" Draco spoke up loudly, watching her in amusement from the couch. "I doubt there are any more files in my cabinet which could -"

"I'm just here to remind you," she cut in, her face remaining blank as she spoke, "that I won't be in the office next Monday."

Draco held her gaze, waiting for her to continue.

"As the Department of Magical Law Enforcement must have warned you when I first came over to work here, I have a personal event I must attend this weekend and will only be back by next Wednesday," she explained, before pausing slightly.

"You're getting married," Draco supplied for her.

"Yes," she answered softly, her eyes betraying nothing. She paused again, clearly unsure of what to say next as Draco did not respond, but pondered silently about her news. Finally, Granger decided to turn around and leave.

It seemed for him to be the longest seconds of his life as he watched her hand reach out for the door handle. Surely he couldn't let her go like that after all those years, surely there was something he could say to make her realise she was making a mistake marrying Weasley.

_Let her go. She wants to marry the Weasel, what should you care, just let her go._

But despite his thoughts, he couldn't help but stand up before she opened the door.

"Granger."

"It's Miss Granger, Lord Malfoy, well - at least not for very long," she answered stiffly, keeping her back to him, her hand immobile on the door handle.

Draco looked at her back, suddenly wondering what to say next. Maybe it was best if they both forgot about the whole thing. Whatever was happening between them had to stop, nothing good could come out of it and it was affecting him more than he had imagined.

"Miss Granger - about the kiss," Draco spoke up with more confidence this time. "It - it never should have happened. We both know it. I was surely overworked or something."

Hermione turned around to face him again. Draco noticed her cheeks blush slightly and wondered whether she felt relieved now that he had admitted the kiss had been wrong.

"Oh, um - yes, of course," she replied spontaneously and he noticed a hint of disappointment in her voice.

He simply nodded in return, looking slightly confused. Surely she hadn't been glad of their recent encounters especially since she was with Weasley now. Surely she had realised that the kiss had only been a moment of weakness on his part and could never happen again.

He turned his back to her, suddenly wishing she would leave his office and let him be. There were so many more urgent matters that needed his attention and that stupid kiss had invaded his thoughts far too much. As she turned once more towards the door, however, it suddenly seemed to hit him, that the next time they would meet again, she would be a married woman.

Hermione Granger would become Hermione Weasley.

_It doesn't matter, none if it matters anymore! You made your choice long ago and now's not the time to let this get to you. Let her go now and then you'll never have to deal with her again._

But at that instant, Draco didn't seem to care. Nothing else seemed to matter other than her.

"Why are you marrying Weasley?" he asked abruptly, looking at her as if he could read the answer from her face. "You obviously don't love him."

Hermione's mouth fell open slightly with surprise. Her eyes, however, were filled with anger.

"And what would you know about that Malfoy?" she asked irritably in return.

Draco kept his eyes locked onto hers, his face impassive to the aggressive tone. "You have a different look in your eyes. It's not the same as before."

Realising what he was saying, what he was mentioning after so many years, he dropped his gaze and decided to sit back down on his leather couch to pour himself another drink. Alcohol would surely make him see reason.

"I'm just saying," he continued with brutal honesty. "You looked happier - with me."

"Shut up!"

Draco flinched, suddenly taken aback by Granger's harsh words. He turned to realise her face had gone livid with anger.

"Don't you dare bring that up! Don't you dare say that to me!" she continued, her voice low and fierce, her eyes glancing at him furiously. "I'm in love with Ron whether you believe it or not. I moved on and fell in love with him and none of it is any of your business now. You have no right to bring up the past and certainly no right to question the decisions I make in my life now. You decided to throw away everything we had, so now do me a favour and just stay away! There's no need to bring the memories back Draco, because if I don't look as happy as before, it's not Ron's fault, it's yours!"

Draco was stunned. He felt as if she had just punched him in the gut. He deserved it after all, he had foolishly wanted her to stay with him a little longer, if only for a little while, and so he had asked her questions which he already knew the answers to deep inside. And yet, it still hurt to hear the truth out loud.

The reason why her eyes had become darker and colder was because of him. It was because of what he had done to her back at Hogwarts and that would never change.

"Well since you seemed to have cleared things up," he said shortly, standing from the leather couch. "Congratulations for the happy wedding Granger."

The sarcastic tone in his voice had the desired effect of wiping away the anger from her face. Her gaze was still fixed on Draco's and he sensed that she would have laughed at his words if not for the fact that she was in danger of bursting into tears.

He had hurt her once more and it pained him. He didn't understand how she could still affect him like this, but he suddenly had the urge to apologise to her. However, before he could add anything, Granger quickly turned on her heels and walked out of his office before he could stop her.

**..~**~..**

* * *

"Lord Malfoy!"

Draco looked up from his desk in time to see his office door burst open, revealing several Aurors standing behind, including the Weasel himself.

"We're here to escort you to the Ministry of Magic," Weasley told him, stepping into his office. Draco noticed he was limping slightly. "Madam Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would like to see you about an urgent affair."

"In other words, she wants to interrogate me," Draco replied icily, standing up from his leather chair.

Ron sneered in return, before turning to the Aurors beside him. "Take his wand, then wait for us outside."

They obeyed quickly and Draco watched in silence as they took his wand from his desk and then left the office, closing the door behind them.

"It's over Malfoy, you're finished," Weasley told him, stepping towards him with a smile on his face. "We've got enough proof now to lock you away in Azkaban for the rest of your miserable life."

Draco raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed by his words. "Why congratulations Weasley, this must be the happiest day of your life. Hopefully you'll get a pay rise so you can finally afford a decent loveshack for yourself and your new wife."

Weasley immediately looked up and Draco expected his freckled face to suddenly turn red in anger, but instead his grin became even wider.

"Why Malfoy, I didn't know you were so interested," he began, circling slowly around his office and peering intently at the bookshelf. "You know, I would have invited you to the wedding, but unfortunately I think you may be too busy making new friends in prison – you know, Dementors. I've heard, thanks to your support, they've been reinstated back to Azkaban. Funny how things work out."

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself Weasley, I've yet to be tried first," Draco drawled, a sardonic smile on his face.

"Yes, well considering what we've got on you, I doubt even Hermione will be able to help you this time," he shot back, looking suddenly triumphant. "The great Lord Malfoy, finally brought to justice. You see, the wizarding community always thought you had it all and yet, you'll be the one sent off to Azkaban, while _I_ reap the glory and _I_ marry the girl."

Draco froze, his eyes narrowing to slits. "So you finally figured it out, did you?"

A long silence followed during which point the animosity in the room was nearly tangible.

"I don't know all the details, but I got most of it," Weasley stated, scowling at him. All traces of a smile were gone from his face.

"What gave it away?"

"The Ministry party. I always knew something had happened between you two, but I didn't know for sure until that night during the Ministry Party. I didn't make the connection until I saw the way you looked at her," he told him with brutal honesty.

Draco was slightly stupefied, before he composed his calm face once more. "Well done Weasley, I always thought Potter would have figured it out before you."

"Your bad, Malfoy," he retorted, rapping his knuckles twice on the office door, "you should know, I didn't get this job because of my looks."

Draco smirked in return. "I really, really believe that."

The other two Aurors walked in at that moment and seized hold of him, leading him out of the office and into the hallway, Weasley following behind.

"Still, it's a shame you'll miss the wedding. I would have loved to have seen your face when Hermione says her vows," the red head added with a small laugh.

Draco looked straight on as the sudden urge to throttle the guards and hex Weasley overtook him. However, killing the freckled git wouldn't resolve anything so he remained silent and watch instead as the two bulky Aurors led him inside the elevator.

_You're getting way ahead of yourself there Weasley... way ahead of yourself. Hermione hasn't promised you anything yet._

**..~**~..**

* * *

Several hours later, after being interrogated by both Amelia Bones and Mad-Eye Moody, Draco was free to go. Well, after having paid a hefty sum to the Auror department, promised not to leave England until the trial, and with some help from Hermione, who had been forced to be present at the interrogation since she was his defendant, he was free to go home and prepare his case for the trial. It was still scheduled for the following week, but new pieces of information containing evidence against Draco – including the dreaded letter – would be added.

So Abigail was no longer pretending to be neutral to anything anymore and had decidedly switched sides and handed in Dante's letter to Madam Bones. Draco wasn't expecting any kind of warning from her part, but now he realised that using the press to ruin her reputation simply wasn't going to be enough. Draco was just going to have to bring the bitch down.

A plan was already starting to form into his mind, when he came out of the lift. Passing the security stand, he immediately spotted Abigail along with Weasley and Moody, standing in the middle of the Atrium, deep in conversation.

Draco grumbled, not really in the mood to confront anyone, but before he could Disapparate, he caught Abigail's eye and she immediately came over towards him.

"You son of a bitch!"

She meant to hit him, but the two Aurors quickly held her back, realising how much attention they had drawn within the foyer, including journalists standing nearby, waiting for an interview with the Minister of Magic.

"You're going to pay for everything you've done Malfoy," Abigail spat in lowered tones. "You hear me, you're going down asshole!"

Draco watched her thoughtfully in return and his prolonged silence seemed to unnerve. She involuntarily took a step back as she noticed his eyes sparkle with malice.

"Famous last words, Serpent."

And then, he was gone.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it. I do love writing the Draco/Hermione scenes. Thanks to everyone who has read this and not completely forgotten about my story. I do intend to finish it and seriously commit to it again :)**

Hathor x


	14. The Wedding

**WARNING! A couple of scenes have been added at the end of chapter 13 - be sure to read those before continuing!**

**Finally - here's the expected wedding. Enjoy!**

**This chapter is dedicated to hate2luv, my 300th reviewer!  
**

**..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 14

* * *

_ Hello darkness, my old friend,  
I've come to talk with you again,  
Because a vision softly creeping,  
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,  
And the vision that was planted in my brain  
Still remains  
Within the sound of silence._

The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel

Hermione stood in the park, watching the swans glide on the lake before her. Her head fell lazily on Ron's shoulder, who wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her towards him.

She looked up, smiling, before gazing back across the lake.

"I'm so happy," Ron whispered in her ear, tickling her with his breath. "I'm so happy with you."

His hand reached for her cheek and he pulled her into a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into him.

"Nothing can go wrong," he breathed out, breaking away.

She nodded, closing her eyes again and breathing in the flower scented wind around them mixed with Ron's odour. His strong arms were so familiar now; she felt safe in them – she had always felt safe in them.

However, a voice spoke up behind them. "I chose my destiny and that means I have to leave."

Hermione's eyes snapped open as she instantly recognised the husky voice. She opened her eyes, suddenly finding herself alone in the park and turning around, confused, she spotted him.

"Malfoy?"

And then it started to rain.

"I love you, Hermione. But I made a choice."

He was standing in the rain wearing only a black shirt and black trousers. He was standing so close to her now, she could see the raindrops glide down his wet hair and onto his face.

"I know," she told him, resisting the urge to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen over his silver eyes.

"You have to go," he told her, gently cupping her face with his hands, his fingers curling behind her neck. "Just go and marry Weasley before you do something we're both going to regret."

She watched him carefully, examining every feature of his face as if she hadn't truly seen him in a very long time.

"I missed you," she told him.

He smiled at her through the rain and Hermione felt a sudden joy within her that she had never felt before with Ron. And then, he was kissing her and it was tense and soft at the same time. Hermione couldn't make sense of anything around her anymore, but his lips on hers. Gripping his shirt in her hands, she desperately pulled him against her as if nothing else existed – as if nothing else mattered.

Something suddenly coursed through her veins; something she hadn't felt in a very long time suddenly ran through her skin and through her mind.

And just when she thought her head would explode from all the emotions she was feeling – she woke up.

..~**~..

Hermione opened her eyes groggily and lay in bed motionless as she slowly remembered where she was and why everything was suddenly so dry and warm around her. The overwhelming feeling of happiness inside of her vanished instantly as she realised she had been dreaming.

If she had been dreaming, then why did it feel so real? Why were her lips still tingling from the kiss?

She turned on her side pulling the duvet back over her shoulders as she firmly gripped her pillow, wondering why she was feeling so disappointed to wake up when she had been dreaming of Malfoy.

Maybe because it hadn't been Malfoy, she realised. Maybe it was because she had dreamt of Draco – her Draco – and the few times that that had happened to her, the same feeling of emptiness and disappointment had taken over her as soon as she had woken up.

Swinging the duvet aside, she got out of bed in desperate need to forget what her mind had fabricated. Pulling on her bathrobe, she headed for the kitchen, breathing in the smell of coffee Abigail had probably brewed while she was sleeping.

Sure enough, Abigail was sitting at the table, sipping away her mug of coffee while lazily flicking through the Daily Prophet.

"Morning," Hermione mumbled, grasping the kettle to boil water for her tea.

"Morning."

"Anything worth reading today?" she asked, reaching for the teapot.

Abigail closed the paper, shaking her head. "Nah, nothing much. There's a small mention about your wedding taking place tomorrow, but that's about it."

Hermione noticed Abigail was taking her time this morning as she was still wearing her hoodie and pajama bottoms.

"Is Ron here?" Abigail asked, peering down the hallway into Hermione's bedroom. "I was hoping he'd go to the park with me and Ginny. She's coaxed me into doing some sort of physical therapy for my shoulder and I'm sure it'd be good for his leg."

Hermione listened as she slided down on the seat across her, with a mug of tea and toast. "No, it was his stag night, last night, remember? And following Malfoy's interrogation yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the Auror department ended up going as well to celebrate with him. I doubt he'll be up before noon."

Hermione noticed Abigail's lips curve into a smile at the mention of Malfoy, but it was quickly gone as she popped the last of her toast in her mouth and started clearing up her plate and mug.

"Oh, by the way, I know you didn't want a hen night, Hermione," Abigail began, heading for the sink. "But don't forget we're still having a girl's night tonight to celebrate. You only get married once after all!"

Hermione immediately opened her mouth to protest.

"Yes, yes, I know!" Abigail cut her off, winking at her. "No male strippers and all that. Just us girls with a few bottles of wine and maybe a good movie. Nothing else, I promise."

"Hmmm, _you_ I might trust, but it's the red-haired vixen that worries me," Hermione teased, sipping from her tea. "You know how crazy she is about parties. Besides, she feels obligated to make a big fuss this time because it's her brother's wedding."

"Don't worry about Ginny," Abigail added quickly, wiping her hands on the tea towel. "She's been so busy yesterday dealing with her own problems that I doubt she's had time to brew any trouble for tonight."

Hermione glanced up from her tea, realising who Abigail meant by 'problems'. "Oh, you mean Christopher. Did Ginny see him yesterday?"

Abigail expelled a very weary-sounding breath as she sat down again opposite Hermione. "Yeah, apparently they met up and Bailey was very nice to her. They chatted several hours and before he left, he requested to see Ryan."

"Oh, I bet Molly and Arthur loved that one," Hermione muttered, finishing up her toast.

"Yeah," Abigail agreed, although something seemed to be nagging her, "but I think I feel a bit sorry for the guy. Don't get me wrong, I still remember how he left Ginny and all, but he lost his sister and then he got kidnapped by Lestrange! You should have seen the state I found him in -"

But then Abigail caught her tongue, remembering Hermione wasn't actually part of the Order.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter what we say, it's Ginny's life after all. It's her son, so it's her decision."

"Yeah, I guess," Hermione answered, although she was still concerned about her friend. Beau suddenly pounded into the kitchen and Hermione couldn't help smiling to herself as the big dog got hold of Abigail's sleeve in his mouth and started tugging at it.

"Right, I need to get going," Abigail told her, getting herself up again. "I need to meet Ginny in Regent's park and I thought it'd be a good idea to bring B along. Yes, yes, I'm coming you silly boy, but I need to get changed first!"

B had successfully managed to drag her a little towards the door as Abigail was still talking.

"Have fun Hermione, wherever it is you're going, and don't forget about tonight!"

"I'm meeting Harry for lunch actually!" Hermione exclaimed, clearing up the table. "Would you like me to tell him you said 'hi'?"

But the only answer she got back was an irritated "Bye, Hermione!"

**..~**~..**

* * *

A couple of hours later, Hermoine waited for Harry inside a small Italian restaurant, off Goodge Street in central London. She had chosen a quiet Muggle restaurant she'd already eaten at with the girls where she knew no one would recognise them.

Sitting at the table, peering outside the window, memories of her dream suddenly crept back into her mind and she couldn't help wonder what it had all meant.

_Nothing, it's just a stupid dream. It doesn't mean anything!_

But even though it had only been a dream, the feelings she had felt had been real. She had just felt so incredibly happy with Malfoy, a lot more than with Ron and just thinking about the dream made her insides suddenly feel all warm and fuzzy. Surely that wasn't a good thing to feel about somebody other than the person she was supposed to marry in less than twenty-four hours!

Focusing her thoughts on the street outside again, she spotted Harry walking quickly towards the restaurant. He was wearing dark baggy jeans with a warm khaki jacket and a black baseball cap over his head, covering his scar. Noticing that his clothes were fashionable and expensive, Hermione smiled to herself, wondering at what point in the past couple of years Harry had started caring about the way he looked.

He quickly spotted her once indoors and she greeted him as he sat down opposite her.

"It's okay, Harry," she told him as he looked unsure whether to take off his hat or not. "I doubt anyone will recognise us here."

"I wouldn't be so sure, you wouldn't believe how crazy people can get," he said, tilting the hat off. "It seems no one has a problem following me into the Muggle world anymore. Back in Australia, only the hardcore Woollongong fans seemed to care about my photo or autograph, but over here it's bloody crazy!"

Hermione laughed softly as she picked up the menu. "When's England playing their next game?"

"Tonight, actually," he answered, peering at the wide selection of dishes. "We're up against Greece. If we beat them, we're through to the quarter-finals."

"Well I would have loved to see you play tonight, but I'm busy with last minute preparations. Maybe next time."

Harry looked up again from his menu, amused. "Don't lie, Hermione. I haven't forgotten how much you hate Quidditch!"

She laughed again and then they placed their orders with the waiter.

"So, talking about the wedding," Harry began, his green eyes suddenly fixed on her. "How are you feeling? You nervous yet?"

"I'm okay – for now," Hermione answered truthfully. "Tomorrow, however, I'll probably be a mess!"

"That bad, huh?"

The compassion in his eyes suddenly made her want to tell Harry everything about the past few months. Everything from her encounters with Malfoy to her true feelings for Ron and even her dreams. But she couldn't open up to him. Harry had no idea what had happened between Malfoy and her in Hogwarts and it was best that way.

"I've just got a million things that still need sorting," she lied to him, wringing her hands together. "I'm busy all morning with the dress fitting, the make-up and then the hair. I still don't know who's going to sort out the guests when they arrive. Who's going to make sure the caterer brought the right food, that the tables are set and -"

"Hermione, don't worry so much, it'll be fine," Harry told her, giving her a small smile.

_No, it won't, _she wanted to tell him, but kept her mouth shut.

"You'll be fine. Everyone will be there to help and besides, I doubt either your mum or Mrs. Weasley will let anything bad happen. Tomorrow's your day and you need to make the most of it. Oh and guess who's been invited at the last minute?"

His words caused her to freeze, a sudden feeling of panic clenching her gut. Could it be that someone had accidentally invited Malfoy to the wedding? The thought of Malfoy watching her walk down the aisle to marry Ron suddenly made her want to be sick. Harry gave her an odd look seeing the expression on her face, but she quickly forced a smile on her face as the waiter arrived with their orders.

"Oh my God, who?"

"Me, you dolt!" he told her, looking at her in a funny way. "Ron invited my friend Dan and I to go last night."

He couldn't help but smile again at her dumbfounded expression. "Yeah, I know you said Ron didn't want me to be there and that it might be awkward for me to go, but Fred and Lupin invited us last night for the bachelor party. Ron got so drunk that we actually started talking, you know – like old times. By the end of the night, he was begging for me to go to the wedding!"

Hermione listened to him in astonishment, a short wave of guilty relief passing over her. "Well, I'm glad you two managed to patch things up! Even though it's silly you both needed the help of alcohol to set things right."

Harry looked back at her sheepishly, but quickly told her about the rest of Ron's bachelor party causing them both to laugh while they ate.

A half an hour later, they had fallen into a comfortable silence, both busy finishing off their plates. Hermione chewed on the last of her pasta thoughtfully, as she wondered how to bring up the news she had heard that morning on the Wizarding Wireless Network.

"So," she began tentatively, picking up her glass of water. "Isn't there something else you want to tell me, Harry?"

He caught her meaning and instantly his face screwed up. "Oh God, how did you find out?"

"Oh, come on," she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "It was the first thing I heard when I switched on the radio. That – and then I saw this."

She leaned to the side, fishing out a copy of Witch Weekly from her bag, which she promptly showed him. Harry groaned in return as soon as he saw a picture of himself on the cover. It showed him trying to hide his face from the camera with a big bold headline printed on top: "_Harry splits with girlfriend!_"

"Apparently they changed the cover at the last second to feature the juicy gossip about your love life," Hermione added, as an afterthought.

"God, I hate the press," he moaned, giving her back the magazine. "Yeah, Linda and I – we split up. I was going to tell you, but -"

"But between what happened with the Order and my wedding coming up, I guess you never got a chance," she said softly, reaching out for his hand on the table. "Do you want to talk about it? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. I mean, it's for the best really, there were just too many secrets between us – you know, Order stuff mostly."

He pulled away, his shoulders sagging slightly, as the waiter cleared away their plates.

"Besides," he continued, a sudden sharpness to his voice. "I think the whole relationship was set up by Linda's dad to jump-start her career."

Hermione cocked her side to one side. "So this has absolutely nothing to do with you being back in England and a certain stubborn girl with red streaks in her hair?" she asked, giving him a knowing look.

He flashed her a smile. "Cheeky," he teased her, her bold behaviour catching him off guard. "And the answer to your question is no."

However, Hermione knew there was more to it.

"Is that a 'no' spelt Y-E-S?" she asked, laughing loudly at the shocked look on his face. "Oh come on Harry, as soon as she's in the room you can't take your eyes off her! Besides, you're the only one who knew where to find Abigail after she came back from the mission. No one else knew how to deal with her."

He shook his head. "Yes well, I haven't spoken to her since. She's been avoiding me and still refuses to forgive me for leaving."

"Then maybe it's time you came clean," Hermione told him, noticing he never answered her question. "Maybe, it's time you told her the truth about why you left, what you did, why you were there – you know, give her some answers – hell, even I'd like to know one of these days."

He looked back at her thoughtfully. "Think she'll listen?"

She shrugged in return. "It's worth a try."

**..~**~..**

* * *

The double doors opened and everyone in the church turned around to see the bride. Hermione smiled back at them all, unable to restrain her joy and happiness as she walked down the aisle in pace with the soft music provided by the orchestra they had hired for the occasion.

A blur of faces streamed past her as she took one step after another, her left arm entwined with her father's as he led her down the aisle, towards her future husband.

Hermione only had eyes for him. He looked even more handsome in his black suit, which accentuated his hair and eyes. He was looking at her too, a genuine smile on his face, causing her knees to feel weak.

She had made the right decision. She knew it now – her heart knew it too. No other man could make her feel this way. There was no one else she would rather spend the rest of her life with.

As she reached the altar, her father kissed her on the cheek and went to sit back down again. Hermione clasped hands with her future husband and smiled at him again before turning to face the priest.

She suddenly felt hot breath against her cheek and looking up into the eyes of the man she loved – two deep pools of silver – she heard him whisper in her ear.

"You make a beautiful bride, Granger."

..~**~..

Hermione woke up with a start. Realising she had been dreaming again, she cursed out loudly.

Of all the dreams she could have before her wedding day, she had dreamt of marrying Malfoy! What was wrong with her?

Her mother had once told her that dreams were only the expression of people's subconscious. They reflected the information people had stored away during the day and not processed properly – or in Hermione's case - had _refused_ to process. She had convinced herself that her relationship with Malfoy was strictly professional and that anything that had happened in the past month was simply a weakness on her part.

A weakness.

Hermione sighed heavily as she turned onto her back to stare at the ceiling. She didn't believe that anymore. Maybe what she called weakness was instead her buried feelings – feelings she had buried deep after Hogwarts and refused to acknowledge when she had seen Malfoy again.

And now they had come back to haunt her in her dreams. They had come back to haunt her on her wedding day.

Before Hermione could finish thinking things through, she heard a loud knock on her door and Abigail and Ginny came bursting through, running in to jump on her bed, squealing with excitement.

"Hermione! Come on, get up! You're getting married today!"

**..~**~..**

* * *

A few hours later, Hermione was standing in front of a full-length mirror, adjusting her veil around her hair. She had locked herself up with her mother in one of the back rooms of the church to add the final touches to her dress and hair and to keep away from the guests that were filing into the church.

Hermione had wanted a small wedding in her hometown church and Ron had reluctantly agreed to a Muggle wedding, although he had eventually warmed up to the idea since the presence of Muggles would keep away nosy wizard and witches.

Once she had finished pinning down the veil, she turned around to face her mother.

"Oh Hermione," she gasped, smiling at her daughter. "You look beautiful!"

Hermione turned around again and took a step back.

She couldn't help but smile as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Together with the make-up and hairdo, Hermione looked like a totally different person in the long ivory dress. The dress she had chosen with her mother was a strapless taffeta gown with a boned lace bodice down to her hips. The rest of the taffeta gown softly flared around her with a long train behind. The whole bodice was delicately beaded and embroidered with flowery motifs.

She couldn't believe this was it. She couldn't believe today was her wedding day! Continuing to gaze at herself in the mirror in disbelief for several minutes, she looked away as tears suddenly began to prick her eyes.

"Now come on, sweetheart," her mother scolded her softly, taking Hermione's hands in hers. "No crying now or you'll ruin your make-up. What's wrong? Is it the dress?"

Hermione shook her head, taking the handkerchief from her mother and dabbing her eyes softly. "No, it's not the dress. It's just – it's just that I think I'm having second thoughts about the wedding, Mum. I just don't know what's wrong with me and I don't know what to do."

Hermione closed her eyes trying to hold back her tears and suddenly felt her mother's hands grip her shoulders tightly.

"Hermione, come and sit down," she told her softly, taking her over to only chair in the room. "You need to relax and think things through for yourself. Your father and I always thought you were a bit too young to get married, but you seemed to know what you were doing, so we agreed to it."

Hermione nodded and kept her head down, feeling guilty about all the money her parents had spent on the wedding.

"Now, I know you love Ronald, sweetheart," her mother continued, lifting her daughter's chin up. "But if you don't want to go through with this, then we'll understand."

Hermione wanted to cry all over again at her mother's understanding words, but instead she kept herself in check and breathed deeply, willing herself to stop being so emotional.

"The wedding doesn't start for another twenty minutes or so," her mother told her, checking her watch. "I'll leave you to your thoughts and come by later to see how you're doing. I need to check up on Ronald's brothers anyway and see if they've managed to seat the guests correctly. I'm sure the girls will be in soon, wanting to see you."

Hermione looked up smiling at her mother, before standing up and giving her a hug. "Thank you, Mum."

Her mother smiled in return, her hand gripping her daughter's before she turned to leave. Hermione went back to mirror to check on her dress again. She took a deep breath, forcing a smile on her lips and tried muttering a couple of 'I do's.

She tried to think of Ron and all the good times they had had together. She tried to think of how happy she was when he had proposed to her. She tried to think back to all the times he had been there for her and how understanding he had been when she was sad or depressed and couldn't tell him the reason why.

She tried to think of the way she felt when they were together, when he kissed her, when he made love to her.

Her thoughts were cut off by a soft knock on the door, followed by Abigail and Ginny entering. They were both dressed in similar light yellow satin bridesmaid gowns and both gasped as they saw Hermione in full wedding dress and veil.

"Hermione!" Abigail exclaimed, her jaw dropping in awe.

"Merlin, you look so beautiful!" Ginny told her, looking the dress up and down. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Hermione lied, putting the flowers back down on the table. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, everything's set. I'm here to tell you the ceremony begins in ten minutes," Ginny answered, setting down more presents on the table. "I'm sorry, I can't stay, I've got to look after Ryan. See you after the wedding!"

And she was off again, leaving Hermione alone with Abigail, who had sat down on the chair to take off her shoes.

"These stilettos are killing me," she admitted, rubbing the back of her feet. "Pity I left my wand with Fred. I can't seem to find him anywhere."

Hermione barely listened as she had proceeded back to the mirror and stood once more frozen in front of it, gazing at her reflection.

"So, how are you really feeling?" Abigail asked her suddenly, looking at her anxiously. "You look mortified, hon."

Hermione didn't know what to say. It didn't seem appropriate to bring up her dream about Malfoy ten minutes before her wedding. Or maybe, on the contrary, now was her last chance to voice her thoughts?

She realised that in her panic she still hadn't answered the question. This only seemed to increase Abigail's worry.

"Hermione, I hate to say it – but, are you sure about this?" she asked her, standing up all of a sudden. "You look really quite pale."

However, as soon as Hermione sensed her step closer, she freaked out.

"Yes, I'm sure and I'm fine!" she burst out angrily, gripping the soft taffeta of her dress tightly in her hands. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Abigail stopped abruptly, taken aback by her friend's outburst.

"I love Ron, I've been with him for over a year now and I can do this! We're going to get married and everything will be fine! I want to be with him, I love him and I want to spend the rest-"

But she stopped short, suddenly wondering if she really did want to spend the rest of her life with him. How many years exactly would that be? The thought scared her and she immediately started to feel dizzy.

"Merlin Hermione, come sit down," Abigail exclaimed, leading her to the chair. "You need to breathe, sweetie, or you're going to faint on me."

She grabbed the nearest water bottle she could find and passed it to her.

"Now stop talking for a minute and listen to me," Abigail continued, kneeling down next to her and looking at her calmly as Hermione sipped the water. "It's okay if you're having second thoughts about this. You're about to get married and you're only twenty-one for Christ's sake. Everyone knows you love Ron, but you have to really think about this Hermione. Once you're married, you'll have to forget about your doubts, you'll have to forget about any regrets you might have - and that includes Malfoy."

Hermione looked up sharply at her words.

"Once you're married, you have to forget about him because you simply can't do that to Ron – do you understand? He's crazy about you and if he ever found out about Malfoy, it would break his heart."

Hermione nodded at her words, knowing what would come next.

"The real question you need to ask yourself now, before you leave this room, is whether or not you can forget about what happened with Malfoy and cut him out of your life – for good. Because until you make that decision, there's no moving on with your life with Ron."

Abigail stood up again, smoothing out the creases in Hermione's dress, before glancing anxiously back at her again.

"I'll be right outside," she continued softly, squeezing Hermione's hands tightly with affection. "No one's coming in until you made that decision. And don't forget, whatever you decide today, I'll be right there for you."

Hermione looked up in surprise. She didn't deserve such loyalty from her friend. Abigail spent so much more time with Ron and Ginny because of their work for the Order that she should be angry with her instead. However, she was technically family after all, even if she was only a distant cousin, and ever since the end of Hogwarts, they had both felt the need to look out for each other.

Hermione nodded again, not trusting herself to speak and Abigail left her to her thoughts – once more. The muffled sound of the guests, chattering, could be heard through the door, but Hermione paid them no notice.

Instead, she thought about her seventh year at Hogwarts. Her time spent with Draco and her certainty back then that Ron wasn't right for her. How things had changed!

Wringing her hands nervously, she stood up from the chair and walked towards the large bay windows. She could see the church gardens and graveyard from where she stood. She could also catch glimpses of several guests, running hurriedly down the path to the church, afraid to be late. She looked back at the gardens, at the cluster of cherry tress blossoming in the spring weather and spotted a shadow from afar. There seemed to be someone walking through the gardens, probably one of the guests.

Turning her back to the window, she noticed the pile of presents and flowers on a table for her. Picking up the cards from the presents Ginny had just brought in, Hermione smiled at the good wishes people had sent her. A magnificent bouquet of red and white roses suddenly caught her eyes. It had been delivered to her as she was fixing the veil to her hair and she hadn't had time to read the card that came with it. Curious, she took the bouquet in her arms and inhaled the divine scent of the roses, closing her eyes as she did. She smiled, wondering if the person who had sent them knew how much she loved those particular flowers.

Deftly catching the small white greeting card between her fingers, she quickly read the neat handwriting inside.

_.~~**~~._

_Best wishes for the happy wedding. _

_You were right. It was unfair for me to question it. _

_Weasley will never fail you like I did. _

_D.M._

_P.S. You make a beautiful bride, Granger._

.~~**~~.

Hermione's whole body suddenly froze. Her throat felt constricted and she could hear her heart starting to beat loudly against her chest. Her eyes, however, kept on reading the small card over and over again.

She couldn't believe the words she had read. Not only was Malfoy apologising, but he has here. He was actually here at the wedding and he had seen her.

Suddenly wondering if he had been the one she had seen in the orchard, she turned around quickly, her eyes scanning the garden again but the shadow was gone. Feeling the bouquet of roses still in her hand, she lifted it up slowly, inhaling the scent once more as her eyes continued to look out for a hint of silver among the trees.

_You make a beautiful bride, Granger._

The words kept replaying in her mind. He had said the same in her dream – she remembered now.

Smiling down at the bouquet in her hands, she realised what needed to be done. Grabbing a quill and a bit of parchment from her handbag, she quickly scribbled a note and left it on the hairdresser in plain sight. Fetching her wand, she took a deep breath, thinking of the pain she was about to cause and Disapparated with a loud crack.

Five minutes later, Abigail knocked on the back-room door and walked in.

"Hermione?"

She looked around quickly and realised her friend was gone. Noticing the piece of parchment on the hairdresser, she picked it up and read it.

It was addressed to Ron. Hermione had finally made her choice it seemed and had decided to leave rather than confront him at the church.

Looking around the room again, Abigail wondered what she should do next. She spotted a small white card on the floor, next to the gift's table, and went to pick it up. Opening it, she recognised Malfoy's handwriting.

Abigail smiled as she read the card and looked up through the window, realising Malfoy had seen Hermione at some point. She had to congratulate the arrogant bastard, he had once more managed to screw up his friend's life.

_Well done, Draco – I didn't think you still had it in you._

Crushing the card in her hand and throwing it in the bin before anyone else could see it, Abigail turned back towards the door. She needed to find Fred and fast, only he would know how to deal with his brother in this situation.

Successfully avoiding the guests, Abigail made it to the front of the church, but still she could not find Fred. She stopped a few seconds, allowing her swollen feet to rest and quickly noticed Harry standing by the entrance, in deep conversation with several guests. They all seemed to be gushing at him about his recent Quidditch match against Greece. England had won spectacularly. Ginny had told her all about it while getting ready and Harry, apparently, had played amazingly well.

Abigail wanted to roll her eyes at the crowd of fans gathered around Harry, but instead realised she was running out of time and needed help. She fixed Harry's eyes, hoping to catch his attention and was surprised at how quickly he noticed her, excused himself from the crowd and then walked over to her side.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her, a tentative smile on his lips.

"Harry, I need to find Fred," she told him urgently, hoping he'd be able to help her. Instead she noticed his eyes suddenly seemed to light up and she quickly realised that she had called him by his first name.

"I think he was by the gate earlier, welcoming in late guests. He might be by the altar now, I'm not sure."

Abigail turned around but couldn't see the gateway from the door. Looking inside the church, the altar was all set and ready for the wedding with Bill standing nearby as one of Ron's best men. However, there was still no sign of Fred.

"It's okay, he'll be here soon," Harry added, noticing her worried expression. "The wedding is starting in a couple of minutes."

"Hermione's gone," Abigail said abruptly, turning to face him. "She was having second-thoughts about the wedding and now she's gone."

Harry's eyes opened wide. "What?"

"We've got to find Ron," she continued, suddenly whispering in case someone overheard. "The wedding's about to start and we've got to tell him before he finds out for himself."

Harry agreed with a nod and quickly led her through the side alley, slipping past guests until they reached the hallway where the back-room was located. Turning round the corner, they suddenly spotted Ron standing outside the room, one hand gripping the parchment note tightly as the other grasped Ginny's shoulder.

"Where is she, Ginny?" Ron shouted angrily as he shook her fiercely.

Abigail gasped as she watched Ron shout at his sister and noticed little Ryan, hiding behind his mother, clutching her dress.

"Ron, I'm sorry I don't know," Ginny answered, fear in her voice. "Please, you have to calm down."

"Where the hell _is_ she?" he roared in return, frowning over her like thunder.

Ryan's sudden outcry brought Abigail back to her senses.

"Ron, don't!" She sprinted over to them as quickly as she could, wanting to stop Ron's outburst, but Harry beat her to it. In one quick movement, he pulled Ron away from Ginny and held him back.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Abigail asked, scooping down to pick up Ryan and comfort him. The red head nodded in return, her eyes widening in shock as she watched her brother wrestle out of Harry's grasp.

"Get off me!" he yelled, trying to push Harry away.

Ryan cried even louder and Abigail held him close, stroking his hair soothingly and hushing him gently. This was exactly what she had tried to prevent by finding Fred, but it seemed that nothing could prevent Ron's anger and Abigail couldn't blame him for it.

"He just came out of the room and suddenly asked me where Hermione was," Ginny explained, her voice still shaking slightly.

"Hermione's gone," Abigail admitted, causing Ginny to stare at her. "Ron must have found the note she left. I went to find Fred, but couldn't find him."

"Ron, you've got to calm down, mate," she heard Harry say across the hallway.

"Damn it, Harry, she left me!" Ron yelled back, waving the note in his hand. "She actually took off without warning and just left me this note. I don't even know where she is!"

Harry took the note from his hand and read it quickly, his face frowning deeply as he did. "You need to go after her. You need to talk to her, but you've got to calm down first."

Ron took a deep breath and slumped against the stone wall, willing to calm down his anger. Abigail had seen him do the same countless times before after Order meetings and missions.

"Ron, you'll find her," Ginny spoke up, taking a step towards him. "She can't have gone far."

He looked up at her, his eyes filled with despair. "I'm sorry, Gin. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay," she told him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. Abigail stood in silence as she watched Ginny comfort her brother. She continued to stroke Ryan's hair as he snuggled his face in the crook of her neck, sobbing slightly.

"Ron, let's go," Harry suddenly spoke up. "We'll Apparate to her flat and start looking for her there. She's probably waiting for you to find her so you two can talk things through."

Ron simply nodded his head.

"Don't worry we'll deal with the guests," Ginny told them, looking back at Abigail, who quickly agreed.

"See you back at the Burrow," Harry said, before both of them took out their wands and disapparated out of sight.

"I've never seen him like this before," Ginny muttered softly, staring out after them. "Not even after Charlie and George died. I don't think Hermione has any idea of the pain she's just caused."

Abigail watched her in silence, still holding Ryan in her arms, a heavy feeling in her heart.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Hermione stared out towards the lake, watching the sunshine glitter across it. She had Apparated to her parent's house and walked through the garden towards the small lake that stretched in front of the local forest.

She had been here several times with Ron and she knew that he would eventually find her. He would want to hear her explanation, he would want to know the whole truth – he would want to know why she had ruined the happiest day of his life.

Hermione wasn't sure what she would tell him and had decided to run away to the lake and try to make sense of the chaos in her head before he found her. After all, how was she supposed to tell the man she supposedly loved that she didn't want to marry him anymore?

Looking down at the soft ripples on the water's surface, she realised there weren't any swans on this lake. This wasn't the lake from her dreams.

She turned to sit down on the wooden bench behind her, still wearing her wedding dress and holding Malfoy's bouquet. Tears made their way down her cheeks as she looked down at the roses and started to pluck the petals off them, one by one.

Hermione felt sure that she was doing the right thing and yet, that meant hurting Ron and knowing that killed her inside. She couldn't face seeing the disappointment and pain in his eyes as she told him the truth about her feelings. She didn't want to see the hurt on his face when he realised she didn't want to marry him. She couldn't lie to him either though, he deserved to know why she had left, but could she tell him about Malfoy?

The wind picked up blowing the petals away onto the water as her elegantly coiffed hair, began to fall down. She looked down at her bouquet and inhaled the scent of the remaining flowers once more. Leaving it on the bench, she stood up, wiping her tear-stained cheeks and decided maybe it was time to head back towards her parent's house. She wouldn't tell Ron about Malfoy. There was no need. She wasn't leaving Ron for another man; she was leaving because he wasn't right for her. He couldn't make her happy and neither could she make him.

She looked out across the lake once last time, sighing softly, and distinctly heard two soft pops behind her. It took all her strength to rip her gaze from the water and turn around.

Harry and Ron stood motionless several metres behind her, both in Muggle attire for the wedding. As Ron broke away to walk towards her, a numbing shiver ran down Hermione's spine.

"Ron," she breathed out in a near whisper.

He walked quickly, stopping only when he caught sight of her strained brown eyes. She watched him standing before her and took a breath for control, waiting for him to say something.

However, he remained silent.

The proximity was deafening and Hermione prayed that he would say something soon because silence was more painful than anything that could come from his lips.

"You look beautiful," he finally said, taking in the sight of her in her wedding dress.

Hermione felt something inside her shrink. "Ron, I'm so sorry, I don't -"

"Just tell me why," he cut in harshly.

His voice – it froze her veins. She had expected him to be angry, to lash out at her, but she had never dealt with this kind of cold fury before.

"Because I've been lying to myself," she told him, a deep sense of failure starting to envelope her. "Because I thought I loved you enough to spend the rest of my life with you, but I don't."

Her words hurt him. She could tell by the way his expression had turned to stone, his blue eyes suddenly looking at her with intensity she had never seen before.

"It's not your fault Ron," she continued, taking a step closer. "I'm just not ready to get married. Please don't hate me for doing what's right – we would never have been happy together."

"You don't know that," he told her, his perfectly calm exterior suddenly showing cracks.

"Yes, I do," she answered, taking his hand in hers. "I do love you Ron, but not enough to marry you. I'm so sorry."

She stared into his eyes, hoping maybe he could understand why she had left and perhaps forgive her. Maybe he wouldn't hate her for it, but instead his eyes glared back at her.

"That's not the only reason, Hermione, and we both know it." He shook her hand off and took a step back as she stared back at him in surprise.

"Damn it, I love you!" he finally exclaimed, his gaze piercing through her own. "My whole life I've loved you and I can't imagine waking up every day without you by my side. I thought we would always be together, I thought you loved me – but when I saw your note -"

He stopped and Hermione noticed his eyes swimming with tears. Her heart was suddenly caught in her throat and her hand went out to him, but he brushed it away.

"I've had a lot of people in my life who've left," he continued, clenching his jaw and turning his head away. "Thought those days were over, but I guess they aren't."

Hermione watched him, pain etched in his face and all of a sudden, she couldn't stop the tears any longer. "Ron, I'm so sorry," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

But he shook his head, the glare returning in his eyes.

"You and I - we're done," he said in a very flat, very cold and very final voice. "It's all over, I don't ever want to see you again."

He turned around and left, leaving her behind, her dress billowing in the wind and her hair sticking to the tears on her cheeks. She clasped a hand over her mouth, trying to control the gut wrenching sobs that were trying to escape and realised she had to stop him. She couldn't let Ron leave – not like this - not until she could make him understand she could never make him happy, that she was doing this for both their sakes.

Grasping her dress in one hand, she ran towards him, calling out his name. However, he kept on walking and as she nearly reached him, Harry caught her by the arm, stopping her, and Ron Disapparated with a crack.

"I think you've done enough damage for one day," Harry told her sharply, releasing her arm, before disappearing as well.

And then there was nothing, but silence.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Welcome back everyone! I'm sorry this wasn't posted last week but I was waiting for my beta-reader to get back to me! I didn't hear back and couldn't wait anymore so sorry if there are some spelling or grammar mistakes. Feel free to point them out to me! (and if anyone is interesting in beta-reading, let me know!)**

**So the wedding was avoided... were you expecting it? And before anyone asks, yes that was Malfoy lurking around in the orchard! Also if you're wondering why Abigail reacts the way she does at seeing Malfoy's note - it'll be expained in later chapters!**

**Once again, sorry for the long wait between chapters - I'll do my best to get chapter 15 out sometime in August. **

**Thanks for all your wonderful reviews - your comments really encourage me to keep writing! I look forward to reading your thoughts about this chapter, I hope most of you will be pleased that Hermione broke off the wedding! :)  
**


	15. Slytherin

**Disclaimer:**** Harry Potter and his world belongs to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing and make absolutely no money out of this. I don't own the song either. It's all for fun! Characters you don't recognise are from my own imagination and belong to me.**

**Author's Notes:** **My muse is back! How long has it even been since I've updated I wonder... My life has gotten in the way again, between graduating, being unemployed, moving back home and finally finding a job, I've had no time to write! However, I've still come back to this story as I promised I would finish it and I think watching Half-Blood Prince has also helped to spark my interest again! :-)**

**In any case, I come here bearing a new and loooong chapter (7,000 words!) and although I know a lot of you are eagerly awaiting more Dramione scenes, this one is about Abigail. You'll find out a bit more about her family and things become a little more complicated with Harry...**

**Enjoy!**

******..~**~..**

* * *

Chapter 15

* * *

Abigail chewed her bottom lip as she scribbled away about forgotten spells, secret potions and family history, pausing only to collect her thoughts or bring a particular memory to the front of her mind. Her quill scratched diligently along the parchment, stopping every so often to be plunged back into a small bottle of black ink.

Rewriting the Serpent books was a tedious task, but it was a necessary one in order to continue the family tradition and pass on her heritage to her descendants. Abigail had vowed to rewrite the books three years ago when the ancestral Serpent books had been burned to ashes. With the help of Dumbledore's pensieve to explore her memories, Abigail had carefully pieced parts of the books back together.

The headmaster had been kind enough to welcome her into his office on weekends and to set aside a small wooden desk by the window where she could write her manuscripts and store them safely. After all, Abigail could no longer trust her father to keep the re-written books safe and Hogwarts was one of the safest places in the wizarding world.

She placed the final touches on the definition of a particular dark spell that transformed a man into a wolf without the influence of the full moon, then put her quill down and rubbed her tired eyes. She had been working carefully for the past three hours and decided it was time to take a break and finally enjoy the warm cup of coffee one of the House Elves had brought up for her.

Abigail held the mug between her hands in an effort to warm them up as she stared through the narrow cast iron windows. The rain was pouring outside and the mountains surrounding Hogwarts were barely visible through the downfall.

Abigail sighed. Ever since Hermione broke off the wedding it was as if the weather was indulging everyone's gloomy mood.

Everything was just so depressing.

Since Hermione had cancelled the wedding, she had spent all her time holed up in her room, working on the Malfoy trial and refusing to speak with anyone. Abigail knew she felt terribly guilty about it all and preferred to be left alone for the time being.

Ron, on the other hand, had bottled up his emotions as usual and had since proceeded to lash out at friends and family, co-workers for breathing heavily or looking at him the wrong way, and become careless in his work. He spent his spare time with Moody at the Order's Headquarters, planning future missions and hanging out at the local Muggle pub in the evenings. He seemed to prefer not to deal with the situation at all and chose to occupy his mind with other things, notably pints of beer.

It seemed that the only good thing to have come out of the whole fiasco was Harry and Ron's friendship. Harry had been there for Ron when it mattered and that had apparently caused Ron to have a change of heart about him. Suddenly, Harry was spending a lot more time at the Order's Headquarters, at the Burrow, and Ron had even turned up at one of Harry's quarter-final Quidditch practices.

Abigail finished her coffee and glanced down at the array of notes strewn over the desk. She had progressed farther then she had expected and began to carefully put away her parchments and quills. Scribbling a quick thank-you note to Dumbledore, she remembered that she had promised herself to visit Snape before she left.

Abigail took her time like always as she made her way downstairs, looking around and reminiscing about her time as a student. She proceeded down the spiral staircase then down the main castle staircases towards the Great Hall. She thought back to her sixth and seventh years and how they hadn't been particularly pleasant but for the most part, like many other students, Hogwarts had been her home for some of the most important years of her life. She had a lot of fond memories locked within the walls of the castle.

"A well-aimed curse should help her remember," a voice suddenly echoed up the stairs, startling her.

Knowing better than to interfere with Slytherins and their prey, she skipped down the last few steps.

"Ickle Half-Blood bitch thinks she can badmouth Slytherins and get away with it!"

She rolled her eyes at the gruff voice coming from her left and turned down the corridor leading towards the dungeons.

"It wasn't me," a smaller voice cried out and Abigail stopped dead in her tracks, immediately recognising it.

She heard scuffling followed by a loud whimper and pulled out her wand as she turned back around the corner and spotted two large Slytherins, a boy and a girl, picking on a smaller first year Ravenclaw student.

As expected, the smaller girl was her cousin Leah, her aunt Isabelle's daughter.

"Leave me alone!" she sobbed, but the two bullies only laughed in response.

"How about you make us stop?" the older boy jeered. Leah looked terrified as the two Slytherins walked towards her backing her into a corner.

The two bullies guffawed even more, but before they could take another step forward, their wands suddenly flew out of their hands.

"Maybe you didn't hear her the first time," Abigail spoke up from behind, "but I'm sure she told you to leave her alone."

Surprised, the Slytherins quickly turned around with wide eyes and looked even more shocked as they recognised their attacker.

"Abigail Serpent," the tall blonde girl muttered in fear. Her face turned ashen and her eyes dropped to the floor whereas the bulky-looking boy looked rather indifferent.

"Why aren't you two in the Great Hall having lunch?" Abigail asked, eyeing the small girl behind them to check if she was harmed.

"We weren't hungry," the boy sneered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

The girl, however, continued to stare down at her shoes as if wishing she could disappear.

"Jessie Montague, isn't it?" Abigail addressed her. "Your sister was such a model student at Hogwarts. What are you doing hanging out with this trash? Maybe I should mention this to your father next time we meet."

The girl, Jessie, instantly flushed pink with embarrassment and mumbled a quick apology.

"And you," Abigail continued, staring down at the boy. "Why are you picking on a first-year Ravenclaw and a girl no less? Can't you find any suitable third-year boys to pick on?"

He smirked in a way that reminded her of Malfoy. "You can't give me any orders, you're not at Hogwarts anymore and I don't know you."

"You're right," Abigail told him, slowly fingering his wand in her hands. "I have no authority here. And as you pointed out, I don't know _you_, which tells me that you're obviously not high up on the social ladder and probably not a Pureblood."

Her words had obviously hit close to home as she watched the boy scowl at her and tightly clench his fists.

Abigail smirked in return.

"If you ever pick on girls again," she quietly threatened him, "I'll make sure the whole Slytherin house knows about it. I may not be at Hogwarts anymore, but I still have my contacts."

His face immediately blanched at her words and he finally slowly nodded in agreement.

"Now leave, both of you," she told them. "You can both pick up your wands later from your Head of House."

Fear suddenly etched on their faces, they quickly scampered off towards the main hall.

Abigail shook her head as she watched their backs, before turning towards her weeping cousin and kneeled down before her.

"Abby!" she cried out as she threw her arms around her and sobbed harder.

Abigail stroked her back soothingly a few times to calm her down.

"It's okay, Leah," she said softly, examining her face. "They're gone now. Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head and Abigail wiped away the rest of her tears. They quickly found her wand next to her tipped over bookbag and Abigail helped pack everything inside again.

"They're always picking on me," Leah explained, fighting her tears again. "I don't understand why it's always me!"

"Well you just had to go and get yourself sorted into Ravenclaw, didn't you?" Abigail admonished, handing out her bag. "And where's Tabitha? Why isn't your sister here protecting you?"

"Tabby just keeps to herself. She doesn't even talk to me anymore unless we're alone."

_Right, Slytherins stick together._ She couldn't help but wonder why they always had to behave so badly, even towards their own siblings.

"Ravenclaw or Slytherin, don't forget you're still a Serpent," she told the small girl while walking her back towards the main hall. "Your mother must have taught you our protective spell, right?"

Leah nodded.

"Well then next time someone bothers you, cast it straight away."

"I will. Thanks Abby," her cousin answered, looking reassured. "I'll be fine now. I can see my friends over there."

Abigail smiled warmly. "No problem, I'll see you soon."

The younger girl walked off, but stopped mid-way and turned around again.

"It's not the same since you left," she half-whispered. "Last time there was a meeting, everyone was really rude to Mum and then he said you'd done some bad things and told us nobody was allowed to talk to you anymore. Mum said that was all rubbish and now I know she's right."

She smiled again, before running off toward her group of friends. Abigail watched her leave and felt her heart sink upon the realisation that her father was now also trying to keep her away from her own family.

This was all so messed up.

Spotting an older student walk by, she grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him. "Hey, who's head of Slytherin nowadays?"

The Gryffindor student, too busy reading a thick Arithmancy book, barely registered her words. "Professor Snape."

"That's not what I meant."

The boy slowly lifted his head up. "Oh, er – you're looking for Darius Rosier then."

"Thanks."

Every school year the Slytherins had a leader and no matter what age or sex, their leader was always the most powerful student in terms of magic, political influence and money. For the years Abigail had been a student at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince, had always been the leader.

Now, however, it seemed the title had been passed down to Darius. Darius, the then fifth year, was a tall, devilishly handsome brown-haired Slytherin that had seduced Abigail in her seventh year. Although the details surrounding that night were still fuzzy since alcohol had been involved, Abigail still scowled at the return of the memory.

Walking to the entrance of the Great Hall, she lingered by the open doors in order not to attract the teachers' attention and instead fixed the Slytherin table. After a few moments, several students noticed her and as good little Slytherins they immediately notified their leader, Darius. He turned around and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. She tilted her head back, signalling to meet her outside, and waited for him down the corridor. He soon emerged from the hall alone and walked right past her slipping inside an empty classroom. Abigail rolled her eyes at such precaution, but followed him nonetheless, wand still in hand.

"Abigail," he greeted her, leaning against one of the desks once she had shut the door. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Darius," she stated curtly.

He crossed his arms and smirked. "I always knew you'd come back for more."

She shook her head at his arrogance. _Just like Malfoy._

"Don't make me laugh," she retorted, taking a step closer. "I was told you're in charge now so I thought we needed to chat about a few things."

His dark eyes narrowed and seemed to watch her like a hawk. "I'm listening."

"I don't care whether they're Purebloods or not, my cousins are not to be picked on, especially the Ravenclaw, do I make myself clear? And you had also better keep your paws off my cousin Tabitha, she's not fifteen yet. The Serpent family and any members by extension are off-limits so you had better keep your Slytherins in check."

"And what's in it for me?"

Her lips curved into a smile as she took another step. "If I remember correctly, your family isn't exactly friendly with Malfoy right now, no matter how much spying you do for him."

Darius opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Don't bother denying anything. I already know you're the one who informed him of my frequent visits to Hogwarts."

She watched his face as it neither confirmed nor denied her statement.

"I'm merely saying that when you leave Hogwarts, not having Malfoy as an ally is social suicide for a Slytherin, except for my family. So here's the deal; you make sure my cousins are left alone in Hogwarts and once you graduate, I'll be indebted to you. You'll be able to ask anything you need from me."

"You're not the head of your family anymore," he pointed out.

"A small detail that's about to change very soon. So, what do you say? Careful before you answer as should you refuse, I will probably be cross enough to hex you and you know how creative my family is with spells," she informed him, lowering her eyes in a suggestive manner at his crotch.

Instantly catching her meaning, Darius gulped and nodded his head.

**..~**~..**

* * *

_Just one more left to go_.

Abigail hadn't spotted Snape in the Great Hall and figured he was probably working in his office. Heading down to the dungoens, she halted before a dark wooden door and knocked twice.

"Come in."

Opening the door, she walked inside and immediately wrinkled her nose at the various smells emanating from the Potions Master's office. He was sitting perfectly still at his desk, quill in hand, apparently in the middle of grading papers.

"Miss Serpent, I wasn't aware you were coming to Hogwarts today," said Snape dismissively, carrying on with his task. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Abigail hesitantly stepped forward, taking out the wands of the two Slytherin bullies and putting them down on his desk.

"I caught two third-year Slytherins bullying a Ravenclaw and confiscated their wands," she informed him. "Yes, I know I have no authority here, but since I caught them, I thought you'd like to know about it."

Snape continued to stare sharply down his nose at her with narrowed black eyes. "And I supposed the Ravenclaw student happened to be your cousin?"

Abigail nodded, suddenly feeling like a student again.

"Very well," he said, waving her off. "I will see to it. Was that all?"

Abigail shook her head trying not to let him see how intimidated she truly felt. As much as he seemed to hate her, she also knew he had saved her life on more than one occasion and therefore had feelings somewhere inside him. She wasn't sure why he had helped her so much – perhaps it was because he felt responsible for her mother's death or because she had helped Malfoy, his godson, against Voldemort.

She knew he would never admit to the real reasons.

However, no matter how coldly he spoke towards her, Abigail always came to see Snape whenever she was at Hogwarts because deep down she felt obligated to him in so many ways. He was the one who had taken her to a Muggle hospital after Ginny had found her collapsed in the girl's bathroom and had stayed by her bedside until she had woken up. He had been there for her after the incident too, tutoring her in Potions and DADA to help her catch up the work she had missed. Even after graduating, he still regularly sent her a batch of magic replenishing potion to help her recover quickly whenever she overexerted herself.

"I also wanted to thank you for the new batch of replenishing potions, Professor," she spoke up with a smile. "It's amazing how quickly it helps me recover and I'm really grateful -"

"Miss Serpent, if you think I have the time to listen to your chit-chat," he said curtly, "you are sorely mistaken. Now if you don't mind -"

"Sorry," Abigail quickly answered. "I guess... I guess I'll just... er, go then."

She turned around to leave, disappointed once again by his cold demeanour as she headed to the door.

As soon as she reached it, she was surprised to hear his voice again.

"I heard about Kingsley's death," he said and she was so startled by his words, she could do nothing but stare at the door ahead. "Dumbledore asked me to join him at the funeral, but since I'm not part of the Order anymore, I preferred not to attend."

"I understand," she murmured after a while. "I know about the promise you made to Malfoy."

She could feel his eyes boring into her back, but still she didn't turn around. She didn't want to appear weak once more in front of her old Head of House and hated herself for being so affected everytime Kingsley's death was mentioned.

Finally steeling her nerves, she opened the door. Pausing on the threshold, she recollected her thoughts before finally glancing over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Professor."

**..~**~..**

* * *

The following night, after finishing training with Ginny, Abigail headed to Grimmauld place for an Order meeting. Death Eater activities had died down within the past week, which obviously seemed linked to Malfoy's upcoming trial, but still the Order kept watch and planned future missions.

Abigail kept quiet during most of the meeting, half-listening as the team leaders talked and debated strategies amongst themselves. She often caught herself staring at the empty seat beside her, now and then, where Kinglsey usually sat. Moody and Ron eventually finalised her team's missions for the upcoming week and she quickly agreed with them, trusting their judgements. Her other two teammates were both absent, Harry still busy training for the World Cup, while Ginny was taking care of Ryan.

"Abby, I'd like to talk to you in private if you don't mind," Ron told her at the end of the meeting while everyone else was filing out of the kitchen.

"Sure, what's up?" she asked him, sitting back down in her seat.

Waiting for the last people to leave, Ron shut the kitchen door behind them and glanced back at Moody, who was still busy putting away rolls of parchment in the cupboard.

"Go ahead," he growled with his back to them. "I already know from Dumbledore."

Ron nodded, before sitting back down opposite Abigail. For the first time in days, she realised just how tired he looked. His face was more pale than usual, causing his freckles to stand out in contrast and his sullen blue eyes were circled with dark shadows.

"Dumbledore wants us to try out something new," he began, a blank expression on his face. "He says we need to try to do better than Death Eaters both by Muggle fighting, but also through magic."

Abigail frowned, not quite understanding how they could do better than Death Eaters, until it hit her.

"You mean... wandless magic?" she whispered back.

Ron nodded.

_No freaking way!_

Abigail looked back at him, completely baffled. "No, that's impossible! Are you out of your mind? It takes years of practice to master and none of us have shown any signs of it since being children!"

"You have."

She blinked. "What?"

"You have," Ron repeated. "You use it when you speak to others through your mind."

"No," Abigail immediately replied, shaking her head. "That's different. That's just an ancient Serpent spell."

"Do you use your wand?" Moody suddenly butt in, turning around to face them.

"No, but -"

"Well there you go," he answered smugly.

There was a long, deep silence as Abigail's eyes flicked back and forth between them wondering whether they were really serious.

"But it's ridiculous," she told them, looking back to Ron. "Dumbledore doesn't have the time to teach us and he hasn't even really achieved it himself. How on earth will he do it?"

"He won't," Ron answered calmly. "He wants you to be taught how to use it properly but he's asked someone else to take charge of your lessons, someone who actually can perform wandless magic."

Abigail quickly ran through a list of names through her head and finally came up with one. She immediately felt her jaw clench in irritation.

_Hell no!_

"You have got to be kidding me," she spat out.

Seeing her glower at him seemed to cause Ron's face to light up and his mouth twitched. "No, I'm not. Harry's going to be training you from now on."

He paused to let that statement settle and Abigail quickly realised the whole matter had already been discussed and decided whether she liked it or not.

Her blood suddenly began to boil.

"I refuse," she instantly fumed. There was no way she was going to be taught by Potter! It was already bad enough she had to put up with him as her teammate.

"That's not acceptable," Moody snapped, limping towards her. "You have no choice. You're doing it for the Order."

Gritting her teeth in anger, Abigail glanced back at Ron, casting him a silent cry for help, but he remained mute. In that single moment, she realised just how much her team leader had changed since the wedding. Never before had he made decisions for her or anyone else on his team without their prior consent. But now, none of them seemed to matter anymore compared to the Order and planning Malfoy's defeat.

There was also something else. Ron seemed much too happy to announce that Harry would be tutoring her and it almost seemed as if he was making her pay for something she had done. Almost as if he was angry with her.

"If you say so," she finally hissed and before either one could stop her, she stood up and shot out through the door.

**..~**~..**

* * *

"That bastard!"

Abigail angrily slammed the front door as she stepped into Hermione's flat. Throwing her bag to one side, she headed toward the kitchen, but immediately stopped in her tracks as she noticed dozens of wrapped presents littering the table and chairs. Most of them remained untouched and she quickly realised they were Hermione's wedding presents. It seemed whatever presents hadn't piled up in the church had been sent directly to her home address.

Looking around more closely, she spotted Hermione's dress spilling out of a cardboard box where it had been hastily stuffed along with the veil and stiletto shoes. Next to it on the table sat a steaming mug of tea along with several used tissues.

Completely forgetting about her previous anger, Abigail sighed softly and cleared the mug and tissues away before looking around the flat for her cousin.

She found her inside her bedroom, sitting on her bed, watching televsion with a bottle of champagne in hand and B curled up at her feet.

"Hermione?"

The brightest witch Hogwarts had ever seen startled at the sound of Abigail's voice and immediately turned her head away, trying to hide her tear-stained cheeks.

"Hermione," asked Abigail gently, sitting beside her and scratching her dog behind his ears, "why are you drinking champagne at half past four in the afternoon?"

"It was in one of the boxes," she admitted, collecting another tissue from her nightstand and quickly drying her face, "and I thought, why not?"

Abigail said nothing and instead sat down on the bed and curled up beside her.

"They all hate me," Hermione finally said, her voice cracking as her eyes began to water again. "All the presents were being kept at the Burrow and I received everything this morning by Muggle delivery with an invoice for all the catering and flower bills. None of them have spoken to me since I cancelled the wedding, even Harry's been ignoring me and -"

She stopped as more tears spilled from her eyes and she sobbed quietly in her hands.

"God, what have I done?" she stammered between sobs. "Everyone hates me."

"No, they don't," Abigail reassured her, hugging her tightly with one arm. "I'm here for you, remember? And Harry too, he's just being a git at the moment, but it won't last. As for the Weasleys, don't worry, they won't ignore you forever, we're all family after all. You just have to give them time."

Hermione looked up at her, wiping her eyes hastily and sniffing loudly. "And what about Ron?"

"I'm sure he'll understand, eventually."

"No," Hermione told her, shaking her head. "He knows."

"What?"

"Abby, he knows about Malfoy," she whispered, covering her face with her hands. "He'll never forgive me."

So that was the reason why Ron was so mad, Abigail realised. He had found out about Malfoy and rightly guessed that Abigail knew too and was probably mad at her for not telling him before.

Abigail sighed in frustration at the whole situation and wondered what she would tell him next time she saw him.

"Don't worry about it," she finally spoke up, trying her best to comfort Hermione. "You did the right thing cancelling that wedding and one day Ron will see it too. I understand how hard everything is for you at the moment, but it won't last. Everyone'll come around and things will be back to normal in no time. Besides, shouldn't you be worrying about Malfoy's trial?"

Although Abigail sounded genuine, she wasn't sure herself if things would eventually calm down and go back to normal. The Weasleys were all pretty upset when they found out Hermione had cancelled the wedding. Ginny had since refused to see Hermione despite Abigail's pleas and even Fred, who Abigail could usually always count on, had avoided both girls all week. The press had had a field day, of course, once the information had been leaked and had come up with all sorts of titles to announce the end of the Defeaters' friendship.

Watching Hermione wipe away the last of her tears, Abigail silently wondered whether this really was the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship.

"I need to get ready for work tonight," Abigail said, hugging Hermione once more. "I won't be back late but if you need anything just let me know. Besides, B will stay here with you, won't you boy?"

She leaned over to the large dog, rubbing his fur vigorously with both hands. "You'll look after Hermione while I'm gone, won't you?"

In response, he immediately crawled closer to Hermione before dumping his head in her lap and licking her hand.

Hermione smiled down at him. "I swear to God sometimes it's as if he understands everything you tell him." She stopped and suddenly glanced up at Abigail, who had finally stood up. "This is another one of your spells, isn't it?"

Abigail's lips slowly curled into a smile before she turned towards the bedroom door.

"Sorry, family secret."

**..~**~..**

* * *

It was still light outside as Abigail arrived at the Hellfire Club for work. Ginny was out yet again with Chris that evening and Abigail had a strange feeling that it would be a long shift as she pushed the heavy metal backdoor and headed inside.

Greeting her boss and co-workers, she stopped by her locker to switch her flat shoes to high-heeled black boots and then stepped through to the bar. She immediately noticed a bunch of Aurors around one of the largest tables, drinking and laughing loudly. Among them, she spotted Ron, sitting at one end, a familiar sombre look on his face and several empty pint glasses in front of him. However, she soon found herself staring intently at the man sitting next to him with his back to her.

She could recognise that black, unruly hair anywhere.

"Great," she muttered under her breath and making a face.

"Hey Abby," Rebecca greeted her, already behind the bar serving customers. "Something wrong?

"No, nothing," she told her and quickly got to work.

Several minutes later, she noticed Ron coming up the bar and purposely ignored him.

"Think I can get a pint of ale anytime soon?" he asked her rudely and she shot him a dark look in return.

"Rebecca," Abigail called out while keeping her eyes on Ron. "Can you mind the bar alone for a sec?"

"Sure," she answered, already too busy flirting with a regular sitting at one of the stools.

"Ron, a word please?" she asked coldly and then stepped out from behind the bar.

He followed her as she led him to one of the dimly lit corners of the club and made sure the background music was loud enough to cover their conversation.

"What's wrong with you?" she demanded as soon as she turned to face him. "What the heel happened to you this afternoon?"

He didn't bat an eye. "What do you mean?"

"Why were you ordering me to take lessons with Potter?" she whispered loudly, trying not to bite off his head. "Since when do you decide stuff like that without telling me first?"

"Since it's for the good of the Order," he answered with a hint of irritation in his voice. He never liked talking about Order business out in the open.

"Are you serious? Wandless magic? You always said that was a load of bull- "

"We both know the real reason why you're mad is because you don't want to work with Harry," Ron said bluntly. "But maybe if you could see past your own issues, you'd realise he could teach you a thing or two."

Abigail ogled at him in astonishment. "I can't believe this and from _you_ as well!" she spat, letting out a strangled laugh. "Not even a month ago, you wouldn't talk to him! You even said you wished he hadn't come back!"

"Yeah, well things have changed!" Ron snapped quickly. "Harry has been here for me non stop all week. I might have been angry at him before but it doesn't change the fact that he's still my best friend. He was there when I needed him most. Where were you?"

Abigail felt her heart skip.

"I'm always here for you Ron and you know it," she replied fiercely. "You're like family to me, but I couldn't leave Hermione by herself. She's hurting too in case you didn't know!"

"Is that so?" he queried, looking faintly amused. "Well in that case, why doesn't she go find Malfoy?"

Abigail's expression turned to stone. "Don't," she warned him, fighting to keep her voice steady. "You don't know what happened."

There was a long pause

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked. His words held such pain and anger that Abigail almost felt ashamed for keeping it a secret for all those years.

"Because it wasn't my place to tell," she admitted, her dark eyes scanning his face.

He glanced back but didn't answer, preferring to dig his hands in his pockets instead, his shoulders sagging slightly.

"Now could you please, _please_ call off these stupid lessons?" she asked again, realising she should head back to the bar soon. "I really don't want to spend anymore more time than necessary with Potter and it's already bad enough that he's part of the team!"

"No, I won't," he told her sharply. "I wasn't lying when I said this is a good thing for the Order so stop being so childish and deal with it."

Abigail clenched her jaw, her face flushing hot with renewed anger. However, before she could tell him what she thought of his 'lessons' and where he could shove them, a voice spoke up behind her.

"Is everything alright here?"

Abigail fearing it was Harry, spun around angrily only to find herself face to face with Mike Roberts, another Auror, who had recently joined the Order and been captured along with Kingsley and taken to Lestrange Castle.

"Yes, everything's fine," Ron snapped rudely.

"Ron!" Abigail chided him.

"It's okay," Mike told them, shifting nervously. "Sorry I asked."

"No, it's fine," Abigail immediately said, catching his arm before he could walk away and glancing back at Ron.

Silence, then...

"Yeah, sorry mate," Ron eventually grunted, running a hand through his hair. "It's been a long day, you know how it is."

Mike nodded his head in return.

"I'd better head off home anyway," Ron added, noticing a few of his friends leaving too. "I'll see you at work tomorrow Mike, bye Abby."

"Wait!" But he was gone before Abigail could stop him and she suddenly found herself alone next to Roberts, whom she had never really spoken to before.

"I need to head back to the bar," she told him, smiling softly.

"No problem, I'll join you there." He followed her back, sitting on one of the stools up front. The club was pretty empty that night and Abigail after helping out with a customer, decided to ask what Roberts wanted to drink.

"Pint of lager, please," he told her, content to just sit on the stool and watch her work. After she had served him, he spoke up again.

"I guess you must find it weird that I'm here tonight when we don't really know each other," he admitted, sipping his drink. "We never really run into each other much back at the headquarters."

"No, you're right," she agreed, she had been wondering why he suddenly wanted to talk to her.

"I was actually hoping to find you here tonight," he continued, trying to catch her eye. "I was hoping to see you so that I could finally thank you properly."

Abigail stopped and stared at him.

"Thank you," he repeated, dropping his voice to a whisper, "for saving my life."

"Oh - you're welcome," Abigail said, feeling herself go red.

He leaned closer over the bar. "And I'd also like to buy you dinner sometime, if that's okay with you," he asked, his light brown eyes gazing at her.

Caught off guard by his sudden invitation, Abigail could do nothing but stare at the glass in her hands while she felt his penetrating stare.

"Are you inviting me out to dinner?" she asked him weakly.

"Indeed," he answered with a grin. Her head came up once again, her eyes looking at him thoughtfully, but focused instead behind him on the black-haired wizard sitting across the club, staring back intently.

"I'd be delighted," she finally said, fixing his face again.

"Great, look out for my owl then," Mike informed her, setting his glass back down. "Thanks for the drink. I'll see you soon, Abigail."

She watched him out of the corner of her eye with a smile on her lips as he marched back to his table to grab his jacket and said goodbye to his friends. Harry seemed to be watching him too.

An hour later, Abigail sat on the metal staircase outside, lazily smoking a cigarette. She could hear the loud chattering and music inside and made the most of the silence surrounding her outside whilst on her break.

Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she clutched her brown jacket closer to her chest as a cold gust of wind picked up around her.

Hearing footsteps approaching behind, she quickly glanced know over her shoulder.

"What do you want?" she sighed.

Harry stepped up beside her and leaned against the metal railing. "Just thought I'd say hello."

Abigail checked the watch on her wrist. She still had ten minutes before her break was over.

"We're not exactly on speaking terms, Potter," she said harshly, hoping he would go away.

"I wouldn't exactly say that," he answered lightly. "Wasn't it you who came to find me at the wedding?"

"That was an emergency," she retorted, crushing the cigarette butt into the wall.

The two of them sat in silence for a while. Abigail silently debating whether to light up again or head back inside while Harry seemed content to watch her. Before she could decide, he spoke up again.

"Ron told me about the lessons before he left," he said, his tone neutral. "It wasn't my idea to begin with if that's any help."

"It's not," she answered dryly.

"I guess I came over to ask you when you were free to start," he said, walking down the steps and turning to face her. "We'll meet up at my place."

"Your place?" she asked puzzled.

Harry grinned in return. "Yeah, I finally bought a flat in London since I'll be staying here for a while."

"How nice," Abigail sneered, pulling another cigarette out of her pack. "I guess I can meet you after work sometime this week. I'll let you know."

His brows furrowed as if he wanted to say more, but agreed with her instead.

"Sure. Well, I guess I'd better head off and make sure Ron managed to find his way home."

His concern for Ron after so many years of silence suddenly annoyed her and her eyes narrowed angrily.

"Why don't you go check on Hermione instead?" she said sharply, blowing out smoke. "She needs you too."

He froze momentarily. "I don't really have anything to say to her."

Something inside Abigail snapped. "For Merlin's sake, she's your best friend, Potter! And yes she cancelled her wedding with Ron, but trust me she had her reasons! So stop being so judgemental and call her or something!"

He didn't say anything for a while and Abigail watched him carefully as he struggled to come to a decision.

"Alright, I will," he finally gave in. "But you have to do something for me first."

Her eyes flew open. "This isn't exactly a negociation, Potter -"

"Just think of it as an exchange," he added, a ghost of a smile on his lips and his green eyes suddenly fixing her face. "I promise to call Hermione tonight and take her out for lunch tomorrow if you, _in exchange,_ will stop calling me Potter."

"Stop calling you Potter?" she repeated. "That's it?"

"Yes."

Abigail kept a blank expression as she caught the obvious loophole in his deal. "Alright, but you have to stop by the flat first thing tomorrow morning and apologise to her for being such a git. Think you can do that?"

Harry lifted an eyebrow at the insult, but agreed. "I will."

"Alright then, you've got yourself a deal." She held out her hand for him to shake it, but he paused, suddenly looking at it with suspicion.

"Just to clarify, you have to stop calling me Potter and call me Harry," he elaborated. "I know all too well how your Slytherin mind works."

She paused, tilting her head up to blow out smoke. "Shame," she uttered with a dangerous smile. "I could have come up with a whole new set of names for you."

He grinned in return before clasping her hand and the touch of his skin against hers jilted something inside. They shook hands in silence, staring at each other until Abigail finally pulled away.

"See you soon," he said and disapparated at once, leaving her alone outside in the darkness.

Abigail remained still for a while, staring down at the palm of her hand that still tingled from Harry's touch. Finally, she reached inside her jacket to a small inner pocket and slowly retrieved a silver piece of jewelry.

A small bracelet shaped like a snake.

Twirling it around her fingers, she glanced down at the bracelet she had once worn on her wrist day and night. Seeing it again immediately stirred emotions she thought she had shut out a long time ago and memories she had tried to forget.

_I'd never hurt you, Abby._

Hastily putting the bracelet away, Abigail stood up, crushed the butt of her cigarette under her heeled boot and walked back inside the club, shutting all emotions out.

**..~**~..**

* * *

**That last line was taken out of The Dragon, the Lion and the Serpent... anyone remember it? I hoped you liked this chapter, no Draco in this one *sigh* but things are about to get a lot more interesting for Hermione and Draco now that Ron's out of the way...  
**

**Once again, sorry for the wait! Not sure when I'll get the next chapter up but I tend to update my profile regularly with news so be sure to check it out!  
**

**In the next chapter: Draco starts to lose control, someone gets kidnapped and Draco and Hermione meet again for the first time since the cancelled wedding.  
**

**I would like to thank each and everyone of you for continuing to read my fic even though it's been on hiatus for so long! Your reviews are amazing as always and give me the encouragement to sit down and write! **

**So please let me know what you thought of this chapter and REVIEW even if it's only two words, thanks! :-) **


	16. Reason

**Disclaimer:**** Harry Potter and his world belongs to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing and make absolutely no money out of this. It's all for fun! Characters you don't recognise are from my own imagination and belong to me.**

**Author's Notes: Well what can I say except my love for HP and this fic is not over and my muse is certainly back! Life _again _got in the way of my writing but I have to admit that seeing the final Harry Potter movies have helped me get back to the fic and your continued reviews have given me more motivation than anything else. To all my readers still out there, this chapter is for you!**

**Enjoy :)  
**

******..~**~..**  


* * *

Chapter 16

* * *

"So, will the Wizengamot meet Lord Malfoy's demands then?" Hermione asked, smiling politely.

Draco gritted his teeth, glaring darkly at the Ministry representative sitting next to her.

He was clearly losing his mind. His freedom was already on the line with his upcoming trial and yet he was just about ready to hex Amelia Bones' secretary himself and in the middle of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement no less.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

But he already knew the answer as he turned his head to face Granger, who he knew was also struggling to keep a diplomatic tone.

"With you here, Hermione, how could I ever say no?" Derek Moon answered her with a wink.

If looks could kill, the bastard would be long gone – probably tortured, killed and then fed to werewolves. However, Amelia Bones' secretary didn't notice the looks Draco kept throwing him, because he was too preoccupied with the brunette sitting next to him.

And it had been that way all week. Ever since Granger had come back from her short break following her cancelled wedding, young single men had flocked to her like flies. Draco had never really realised how popular Granger actually was in the wizarding world until he'd caught several of his male employees suddenly starting to talk and even flirt with her. Something which they'd never done before.

It was only natural, Draco told himself repeatedly. She was single now and not only England's youngest Interrogator, but also a Defeater of Voldemort after all. Ever since she had left Weasley at the altar, it seemed she'd suddenly become England's most desirable woman and although Draco would have liked to disagree with that statement, he simply couldn't.

After all, even he had to admit that Granger was stunning and that he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her for the past week. During the whole meeting with Moon to determine in what manner the trial would proceed, he hadn't been able to keep himself from subtly staring at her from time to time. She was sitting opposite him, focused on the documents before her and trying to ignore Moon's flirtatious tone. Her hair was pulled back with chopsticks, letting random curly brown locks frame her face. Her white blouse was open at the top, revealing the slightest hint of her cleavage and her creamy white skin. Draco actually liked her choice of clothes, often a white or baby blue blouse with pencil skirts or black trousers - nothing too revealing, but always showing off her curves.

Unfortunately, Draco wasn't the only one to enjoy the view as he noticed Moon ogling at her once more. The bastard!

Well, enough was enough.

"If we're quite done here," he cut in icily, "I'd like to return to my office. I have a lot of work awaiting me."

He felt satisfied as he caught the look of relief in Granger's eyes.

"Yes, I think we have everything we need now," she continued, gathering the papers strewn across the table hastily. "Thanks for your time, Derek, you were a great help."

Her sweet smile, Draco noted, looked rather fake.

"Anytime, Hermione," Moon answered with a cocky grin, gathering his belongings quickly.

"I just need a moment alone with my client and then we'll be out of your way," she told him, glancing towards the door.

Taking the hint, the secretary stood up to leave. "Sure, take all the time you need."

As soon as he left and they were finally alone in the conference room, Granger sat back in her chair, tilting her head back and sighed loudly.

"Damn pervert," she muttered to herself.

Draco merely raised an eyebrow.

"Before you say anything," she quickly explained, looking back at him. "Yes, Derek's always been like that with me and no, I've never given him reason to think that we were ever more than colleagues."

"Whoever you flirt with, Granger, is strictly none of my business," he told her amused.

Her reaction was immediate as her face flushed red. "I _do not_ flirt with - !"

"Whatever you say," Draco continued, glancing back down at the documents before him. "Either way, I should congratulate you for the outcome of this meeting. All of my demands will be met by the Ministry and it seems I might actually have a chance to win."

"Don't get your hopes up yet, Malfoy," Granger retorted, her eyes flicking through the list of demands and the slight alterations made in red. "I still have to come up with a defense concerning Dante's letter and knowing Abigail, it won't be easy."

He shrugged lightly. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"By the way," she added with a frown, locking eyes with him once more. "Don't forget that during the trial, you're not allowed to make contact with any of the witnesses, Abigail or the opposing side. If you do or if they try to, it'll be noted at that trial and counted against you."

"That's fine."

"Which reminds me, Abby will have to find somewhere else to stay during that week," Granger muttered to herself, before turning towards her black leather bag and digging around for something.

Draco froze as he caught her words. "She's living with you?" he asked, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

Granger froze immediately, realising her mistake. "Yes, once Blaise had come after her, she didn't have much choice," she snapped at him. "She could have been killed!"

"I doubt that."

"Then how about raped?" Granger suddenly yelled, taking him aback. "For goodness sake Malfoy, don't you remember anything from Hogwarts? Don't you realise how ruthless Blaise is? And it's even worse when it comes to Abigail – don't you dare try and deny it."

"I won't deny it, but it's none of your concern," he hissed in return, although her words unnerved him.

He had known Blaise for a long time and he had always trusted him to do as he was told, but it was true that sometimes the Zabini heir got carried away. Draco had always known that Blaise's father had never trusted him and suspected that he continuously misled his son into thinking that he could be a better leader. Blaise had never faulted or directly disobeyed Draco before, but after the events at Lestrange Castle, Draco didn't know what to think anymore. Blaise, after all, had been his ally for years, ever since Hogwarts and on some level, Draco even considered him a friend.

Probably the only one he had.

And yet, hadn't Draco purposely kept Blaise away from matters concerning Abigail before, knowing how obsessed he was with the Serpent girl? And hadn't Blaise and his father, in turn, purposely kept Draco in the dark about the Orb of Eris?

Draco had always thought, even back when they were in Slytherin, that they both desired power and control over their lives and not be mere puppets among Voldemort's hands. However, after the incident with Smith, Draco had a feeling that his friend was slowly growing unsatisfied with those goals and desired revenge on the Order instead.

Or perhaps Draco was the only one who was satisfied with what they had built over the past three years.

However, the thought was unsettling. If Blaise didn't get his way then he could very well pose a threat to Draco and along with his father, they could even rally the remaining Death Eaters to their side. If that ever were the case, then Draco feared what would happen next.

After all, Granger, as always, was right. Blaise could be ruthless.

"None of my concern, of course," Grange answered bitterly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "But when the trial is over and you don't need me anymore, will you send Blaise after me then too?"

Draco felt his whole body tense at the accusation. Her words had caught him completely off guard that he could do nothing but stare at the moment.

"When I'm dead and buried, will you be satisfied then?" she continued in a whisper.

Draco remained speechless, reigning in his gut instinct to tell her that he could never hurt her.

Realising he wasn't about to answer, Granger abruptly stood up, frowning in anger and disgust. However, as she turned away, the obvious hurt behind her eyes prompted him to speak.

"Granger…"

He wanted to tell her. He _needed_ to tell her that she was wrong. That he could never hurt her, because the mere thought of seeing her dead – of even ordering her death was inconceivable.

_You're too important to me._

But he couldn't say the words she needed to hear because something inside him was frozen.

She didn't look back at him. Instead she spoke with her back to him, facing the door.

"Was it you?" she asked softly, breaking his silence. "After I cancelled the wedding with Ron, I thought the press would slaughter me for what I did to him, but there wasn't a single article that mentioned it. I only know one person in Britain apart from the Minister with that kind of power and I need to know. Was it you?"

This time, his carefully planned response seemed to roll of his tongue. "I didn't want all the bad press to distract you from the trial."

_I didn't want you to suffer._

She nodded, looking slightly over her shoulder as she did, pausing for a moment before finally speaking again.

"About the wedding," she began, her voice neutral, "don't think for a second that you had anything to do with the fact that I cancelled it."

Draco kept quiet, although something told him that her statement wasn't entirely true.

"Nothing will ever happen between us again," she told him firmly, turning halfway to meet his gaze, "because no matter how I felt about you before during our final year at Hogwarts, to me you'll always be a monster."

Watching her swiftly leave the room, Draco tried to ignore the sudden biting cold building up in his stomach.

******..~**~..**

Draco hadn't lied when he had told Moon that he had a lot of work awaiting him. Truth be told, he was swamped. Accumulating so many companies under Malfoy Inc. over the years had him on a tight schedule all year round with many contracts and meetings to oversee, projects and reports to manage, not to mention mountains of documents to sign, which his assistant never failed to bring to him in his office every morning. However, as Draco was trying to work his way through the first round of papers after returning from the Ministry, his mind kept wandering back to his conversation with Granger.

_But when the trial is over and you don't need me anymore, will you send Blaise after me then too?_

He'd never given it much thought about it till now since he'd always been preoccupied with Abigail and her family magic, but Granger, once again, was right. Once the trial was over and she was no longer needed, wouldn't Blaise, Dolohov or even Lestrange want to go after her, just to set an example? After all, Granger was probably the most famous Muggleborn in all of Great Britain since Voldemort's defeat and it wouldn't be long until the other Death Eaters decided to plan their revenge.

What would Draco tell them then?

A knock suddenly interrupted his thoughts and Blaise swept inside the office, shutting the door behind him, and strode up right to Draco's desk.

"We got her."

Draco merely raised an eyebrow at his friend's sudden entrance. "Blaise, it's still too early to play guessing games, so why don't you just -"

"We found Abigail," he immediately expanded, his lips twisting into a smile. "Mulciber and Dolohov just reported back this morning. They were able to track her down to a specific block of flats in Hogsmeade and saw her walk out again this morning. The whole place is protected with some pretty powerful wards, but at least we've been able to pinpoint her location."

Draco listened intently, already knowing where the conversation was headed.

"And that's not all," Blaise continued eagerly. "She's not alone. They saw the Mudblood come and go there more than once. Looks like it might be her flat. We knew she lived in Hogsmeade after all."

"They live together apparently," Draco added, cutting him short. "Granger let it slip this morning at our meeting."

Blaise's blue eyes gleamed. "Good, so we get them both."

Draco felt something in his blood boil. The exact previous thoughts were suddenly turning to reality and he didn't like it.

"No, we leave Granger out of this," he said without a trace of hesitation. "She's needed for the trial. Nothing can happen to her until the trial is over."

He clenched his jaw, hoping his face wouldn't give anything away.

"Fair enough," Blaise soon answered, although something in his tone sounded a little off. "However, Abigail is stubborn. You know how she is. She won't tell us what we want that easily. If you want her to spill her secrets, then you'll need to threaten with something… preferably someone she cares about."

"Don't worry about her teaching us her spells again," Draco told him, with a sly smile. "I'm sure we'll find a way to make her talk."

Remaining silent, Blaise merely stared at him, his face impassive. He obviously didn't agree with Draco, something which happened more frequently these days. He wanted Abigail back – that much was obvious and he had told Draco more than once. However, to what lengths Blaise would go to kidnap her, make her talk and even claim her back was less known by Draco, although he had a bad feeling Blaise would probably do whatever it took. Nonetheless, Draco was still in charge and Blaise had to follow orders.

"Tell Mulciber and Dolohov to stay in Hogsmeade for the day," Draco said after a moment. "You'll join them at nightfall and then wait for Abigail to return. Make it quick and bring her to the Parkinsons. No one will suspect her to be there and the estate is no longer being watched by Aurors. I'll join you as soon as I can."

Blaise nodded, and before he could ask anything more, a knock was heard on the office door.

"Keep me informed," Draco ordered quickly, before his secretary, Miss Jones, appeared in the doorway with more files to be signed.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Harry checked his watch for the tenth time.

Abigail was late.

She had sent him an owl earlier in the week to arrange training with him as she had told him, but now she was officially fifteen minutes late.

_She's not coming_, Harry thought as he sat back down again on his new cream-coloured sofa in front of his new plasma screen TV surrounded by a few cardboard boxes, all waiting to be unpacked.

It nagged him that she had arranged the meeting only to end up letting him down and the thought quickly crossed his mind that maybe she had done it on purpose.

Just to spite him.

Harry frowned hard, not really sure how he felt about that. Of course he felt slightly guilty that Moody and Ron were apparently forcing these lessons on her, but surely they were more important than whatever was going on between them. However, something told him that Abigail probably didn't see things that way because of her anger and hurt.

She wanted nothing to do with him, that much was clear. It was obvious from the way she kept brushing him off whenever they had Order practice together and when Harry went out with the guys for drinks at the Hellfire Club. The only time she hadn't openly glared at him or purposely avoided him had been at Ron and Hermione's wedding. She had sought him out and asked for his help and for the first time, in a very long time, Harry had seen her old self again. At that moment, her dark eyes had no longer held any hint of anger or hurt that constantly reminded him of what he had done.

That day had thrown him back three years ago, when those dark brown eyes were once soft and familiar. That day, Harry had realised just how much he had missed her. The real Abigail… _his_ Abigail.

Just then the doorbell rang and Harry jumped out of his seat, quickly dismissing his previous thoughts. Now was not the time to think about his feelings for her. The new Abigail still hated him and if he ever wanted to see the old one again, he'd have to earn her trust first.

Opening the door, he was relieved to see the girl before him. She was leaning against the doorway, carrying a large bag on one shoulder and breathing heavily.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," she greeted him quickly, trying to catch her breath. "I had to drop by home after work before coming here and I know I should have warned you, but owls take forever and I wanted to call you except I don't have your number. And then Fred dropped by and got really pissy with me when I told him I wasn't free this evening – but anyway, I'm here now."

Harry shook his head and invited her in, taking her large bag off her shoulder for her.

"You didn't have to cancel with Fred, you know," he said, putting down her bag by the couch. "The training won't take more than a couple of hours."

"Oh yeah, I know," she told him quickly, standing awkwardly by the door as her eyes took in the size of his brand new apartment. "I have to leave before 8:30, I… er, I have plans."

"That's fine," Harry answered, although her obvious discomfort along with the slight blush on her cheeks didn't go unnoticed. What exactly was she not telling him? "Do you want anything to drink before we start?"

She followed him hesitantly towards the open space kitchen, stopping midway to look at his numerous Quidditch trophies all stacked away in the same box.

"Just water, thanks."

He nodded, turning away to find a clean glass among his newly unpacked kitchen items.

Silence followed him and he suddenly felt nervous as he filled the cup with water. They weren't exactly on speaking terms since his return but Abigail was far from being a quiet person. She was going to be with him for the next two hours and if Harry didn't quickly think of something to say to her, then it was going to be a very long and awkward training session. However, any topic of conversation he could think of would probably end up in an argument. Maybe it was time he took Hermione's advice and finally told Abigail everything that had happened since he'd left. If he was ever going to tell her after all, now was probably the best opportunity he would get.

Turning around to face her again, he noticed she had her back turned and was staring intently at something. He stepped forward with the glass in one hand, but froze as he caught sight of the photoframe in her hands.

He finally realised why she had kept so quiet.

Between her hands she held a photo of them both, taken during the summer following Voldemort's defeat. Harry had planned a long holiday to some exotic place as he had promised Abigail and so they had spent the month in Thailand. The Muggle photo was a close-up of them on the beach, both in swim gear, and with Abigail perched on Harry's back, her arms wrapped around his neck. They both had golden tanned skin and bright smiles – they both looked incredibly happy. Harry had framed it for that reason. It reminded him of the time when he had been completely and truly happy and seeing it again caused something in his heart to jolt.

And judging from Abigail's expression, he wasn't the only one to feel that way.

"Merlin, we look young," Abigail said softly, her eyes focused on the picture in her hands. "You still wore your glasses back then."

"They made me fix my eyesight when I started playing Quidditch in Mexico," Harry explained, slightly relieved that the photo hadn't prompted an argument.

He handed her the drink. "Thanks," she told him, putting the frame back inside the box. "I can't believe you kept it."

"Why not?" Harry asked, turning to face her. "I took all my belongings with me when I left England."

She paused, surprised by his statement. "I thought when you left, you'd wanted to forget. I always thought you'd left because of… well, because of me."

Her voice fell to a whisper and Harry felt his stomach twist violently.

"Follow me," he said with a sigh and turned away down the corridor to his right.

"What? Where are you going?" she demanded from the lounge. He didn't answer, smiling instead as he heard her footsteps following him. He passed by his bedroom on one side and headed for the door at the far end of the corridor. Once inside the room, he headed straight for the tatami and waited for her at the centre.

She entered slowly, looking confused as hell until she caught sight of the dojo.

"No shit," she swore under her breath, spotting the large training room and multiple rack of weapons decorating the walls. "Your own bloody magically-enlarged room. Merlin, must be nice to have friends in high places at the Ministry."

Harry laughed at her typical cynicism as he sat down on his knees. "Yeah well, it still cost me a fortune," he pointed out.

She shrugged her shoes off before joining him on the mat, silently sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"Before we start," Harry spoke firmly, "I think I should clarify a few things. Like, for example, the real reason why I left England two and a half years ago."

Immediately, Abigail's head came up, her eyes carefully scanning Harry's face.

"I didn't leave because of you."

Taking a deep breath, Harry continued. "You remember just before the war, I kept getting these headaches, pretty vicious ones too. I kept thinking it was all linked to my scar, but even after Voldemort's defeat, they continued."

Abigail nodded slowly. "I remember."

"What you don't know is that I spoke to Dumbledore about them one day, probably just before we left for Thailand and he didn't seem surprised at all. In fact, he was even expecting me. He told me he had had the same headaches when he was younger. He told me it was normal for all wizards who had an extraordinary amount of magical power, for those who naturally drew a higher amount of magic towards them. These wizards were once called mages, but they are so rare nowadays that their existence is mostly forgotten. However, they still exist and apparently I'm one of them. The headaches were due to the high amount of magic that surrounds my body at any given time and the only way to appease them was to learn how to control, channel and eventually release the magic. Just like first-years at Hogwarts learn how to channel the magic around them into their wands to perform spells, I had to learn how to channel high amounts of magic through my body in order to perform —"

"Wandless magic," Abigail cut in, unable to hide her surprise.

"Exactly."

"That still doesn't explain why you left," she retorted, "Nor where you went."

"Japan," Harry answered, carefully studying Abigail's reaction. "I spent six months in Japan. I would have stayed in England if I could have but Dumbledore couldn't exactly put his duties aside to teach me and the only other person he knew who could help was an old friend of his who lived in Japan. So that's where I went. It was the best thing to do. I had to learn to control my excess of magic that was causing all my headaches and going to Japan was my only option. Staying would have been dangerous. Drawing in so much magic without knowing how to properly control and release it was dangerous for myself and for others. Dumbledore told me so right from the beginning. In order to control my magic I had to leave, get away from everyone essentially and train by myself with only the help of his friend in case anything went wrong. I decided that I would leave sometime at the start of your seventh year. I thought then we would both be away for most of the year and see each other again for your graduation. That's why I wasn't actively seeking a job after our trip to Thailand; I had planned it all out already."

"Why didn't I know about this?" Abigail asked in a small voice.

"Would you have let me go?" Harry replied just as softly. "I was dangerous then, but you would have followed me no matter what. I had to leave without you knowing, it was the only way. I couldn't commit to any sort of relationship while my magic wasn't under control and so I decided to leave without telling anyone but Dumbledore."

Although his face remained calm, his heart was racing.

"That day at the Three Broomsticks I had already made up my mind about leaving and ended up picking a fight with you thinking it would make things easier. I never should have left you like that. It was utterly stupid and I know it now. Dumbledore tried to reason with me but I made him promise to keep it all a secret and left. Back then, I really thought it would be for the best. I thought that way I would finally be doing something for myself, concentrate on my training and that you could forget all about me and concentrate on your studies and career… but I know now… I know I was wrong and I'm sorry."

He paused to let that statement settle, but her face remained blank.

"I guess all my questions have finally been answered," she replied, without a hint of sarcasm or anger, "but it's too late. No matter your reasons for leaving, I still spent six months looking for you, thinking you'd been captured or were dead. So no - no matter what you say – you're not forgiven."

"I'm not expecting you to forgive me," Harry spoke up, "but I hope in time you might come to trust me again – for the sake of the Order."

He wanted more than just that. That much was clear to him, but he knew it would be a long time before he could even hope to befriend her again.

Abigail barely acknowledged his words. "How about we just get this lesson over with?"

He blinked in return, not sure why she had remained so passive during the entire exchange. Abigail had no talent at controlling her emotions, when she was angry she always lashed out. Didn't she care at all?

"Um - sure," Harry answered before standing up. "I guess we can start, but before we do, you must know that each lesson will drain your magic so you must always bring Snape's potion with you to our lessons and you must never cast any spells until the next day. Dumbledore has assured me you'll never be assigned to any missions following a lesson."

"Fine."

"We'll start with the basics," Harry continued, walking over to her. "You can already do wandless magic through some of your family spells. Now I want you to prepare for one of your spells, without actually casting it and try and sense the magic gathering around you. Once you actually begin to sense it, we'll try channeling it through your body and into your hands."

She gave him a doubtful look but eventually huffed, closed her eyes and began to focus. A couple of hours later, Abigail was still struggling to sense the magic around her. It was just as bad as when Harry had first started training.

"Ok, let's stop for today. Keep practicing this week for short periods of time. You'll get it eventually," Harry encouraged her.

"Yeah, whatever," Abigail answered, shivering slightly from the cold sweat drenching her clothes. The training seemed to have taken more energy out of her than Harry had thought. Surely her family magic was more powerful than what he'd seen today. It seemed Abigail's magic had already been half drained at the start of her training.

Noticing her shivering, he opened his mouth before he could stop himself. "You can take a shower here if you want."

She looked up and eyed him suspiciously.

"There's a changing room with a shower, just outside the dojo. You can use it anytime," he added, hoping she wouldn't take his offer the wrong way.

For a second she seemed unsure whether or not to accept, but finally nodded and silently left the room. Sighing to himself, Harry shook his head and followed her outside, catching a glance of her large shoulder bag as she slipped inside the changing room.

Harry changed clothes in his own bedroom, throwing on a T-shirt and jeans for the night. Seconds later, the doorbell rang and Harry found a cheerful looking Ron behind the door.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

"Sure, just hold on a second. Abigail's still here," Harry said, letting him inside before going to find his jacket.

"Oh right, the training," Ron remembered while gazing at the large-screen TV. "How did it go?"

Before Harry could answer him, heeled footsteps were heard in the corridor and Abigail emerged into the living-room, looking all dressed up. She was wearing a classic black dress with black high-heeled shoes and her hair was neatly twirled into a bun. Harry couldn't help but stare at the black dress, perfectly framing her body and showing off more than necessary.

"Ron," she greeted coldly, stopping in her tracks. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not here to spy on you if that's what you're thinking. Harry and Dan are going out with the rest of their Quidditch team and Harry invited me along," Ron explained, glancing back sharply at her. "But it seems like we're not the only ones with plans for tonight. So who's the lucky guy? Don't tell me it's still Luke because you know how much we all hate him and if Ginny finds out —"

"It's Mike Roberts," Abigail cut in, dumping her large shoulder bag on the floor, before fiddling inside to retrieve a smaller leather handbag.

Harry's fists tightened considerably around his jacket. He knew something was up the other night at the Hellfire Club when he saw them talking together.

"Could you?" Abigail asked Ron, pointing to the bag. Her silver earrings dangled wildly with every turn of head and matched the glow of her makeup. "I'm not allowed to use any magic tonight."

He retrieved his wand from inside his jacket and shrunk the shoulder bag to the size of a keyring.

"Thanks."

"Mike Roberts? Poor bloke," Ron chuckled, shaking his head. "Guess he doesn't know what he's in for."

Abigail shot him a dark look.

"Just kidding," Ron protested, putting his hands up in defense.

Abigail smiled coyly as she smoothed down her dress with both her hands. "You boys have fun, okay?"

She slipped into her white trench coat and headed for the door. "I guess I'll see you both tomorrow for training."

"Sure, have a good night." Ron waved her off whilst Harry remained silent, keeping his eyes on her and then on the front door after she had left.

"Careful, mate," Ron spoke up in a sly tone, "That's my friend you're gawking at."

Caught unawares, Harry gave a feeble laugh, turning away from his friend's watchful eyes.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Ron exclaimed, reading him like an open book. "You still have feelings for her. Hermione was right!"

"Wait, Ron, you —"

"I always thought that she was seeing too much into things, you know how girls are. Her and Ginny are always nattering on about you two —"

"Ron —" Harry continued, trying to get his attention.

"— and I mean you just left Abby one day without any warning and she literally crumbled apart, became a wreck. And well, she pretty much still is so really there's no chance in hell that you could ever make it up —"

"_Ron!_"

Ron finally stopped and stared at him.

"Just drop it, okay?" Harry told him, annoyed. "I know what I did, alright? So just leave it and don't you tell anyone. It doesn't matter in any case because she's dating someone now."

"What, Mike Roberts?" Ron replied with a scowl. "Are you kidding? That guy will bore her to tears before the end of the night. Trust me, he doesn't stand a chance."

Harry nodded, not really sure what to say next.

"Harry, you know I was joking with you, right?" Ron spoke up again, his scowl turning into a wide grin. "I've noticed the way you look at her a few times now and hell I say all hope is not lost. Now come on, let's go find the rest of your team before someone else chats up that hot Chaser girl."

Harry shook his head with a sigh but quickly followed his friend out through the front door, a small smile playing on his lips.

**..~**~..**

* * *

Ginny watched from afar her son sitting in his high chair attempting to peel a mandarin by himself. Although the sight was amusing, Ginny couldn't bring herself to smile.

She had been looking forward to her date with Christopher, her ex-boyfriend, all week, but she still hadn't found anyone to babysit Ryan for the evening. He was supposed to take her out to dinner in Central London, but Ginny wasn't sure a crying toddler would be particularly welcome in a busy restaurant.

However her parents as well as Bill and Fleur had been called to Grimmauld Place for an important meeting and Fred didn't know the first thing about taking care of a two-year old. Abigail was on her own date with Mike Roberts while Harry and Ron were out for the evening drinking Merlin knows where. Her neighbour Suzie was no longer an option since they had found out that she was a half-vampire, although Ginny was sorely tempted to call her anyway. All the other babysitters she knew already had plans or hadn't answered her calls.

There was only one more person she could turn too and the idea didn't exactly thrill her.

Ginny hadn't talked to Hermione since the wedding and was still upset with her for leaving her brother on their wedding day, but Hermione was probably the only person left without any plans on a Friday night. Or perhaps she was busy working on Malfoy's trial?

Panicked at the thought of having to cancel her date, Ginny quickly dialed Hermione's number, but was disappointed to hear her answering machine. She left a quick message explaining her situation and hung up, hoping Hermione would be free and would answer her in time.

Turning back to Ryan, she helped him finish his mandarin and then scooped him up to take him back to his room. If all went well, she could finish getting dressed and drop off Ryan at Hermione's in time for her date.

Just as Ginny was headed for her own room, her phone rang.

"Hi Ginny," Hermione greeted quietly as she picked up. "I got your message."

"Hey," Ginny answered, not really sure how to talk to her friend anymore.

"Um, I'm at work right now, but if you give me about fifteen minutes I'll be home to watch over Ryan for the night," Hermione continued hurriedly, obviously feeling just as awkward about the conversation.

"That's great," Ginny told her, "Everyone else is busy tonight. I didn't want to bother you, but —"

"Oh no, don't worry, it's fine," Hermione cut in quickly. "I love taking care of Ryan, you can ask anytime. It's just I… what I mean to say is that… Are you still mad at me, Gin?"

"Yes… no… I don't know," she finally answered with a sigh. "I just wish you had told me before about your doubts. I wish you hadn't left Ron the way you did, you really hurt him, Hermione, and as much as I care for you, he's my _brother_."

"I know and I'm really sorry. I didn't want things to happen the way they did, but I… it's just that I…"

"Look how about we talk about this at your place," Ginny suggested, feeling her discomfort. "That way we can talk about it in person rather than on the phone. I'm sure I'll have some time left before meeting Chris."

"Ok sure. You won't be able to Apparate to the flat or enter without me with the tightened security so it's probably best if we meet outside. See you in a few."

"See you in a bit," Ginny added before hanging up. She paused, sighing softly at how awkward things seemed to be. She hated being mad at her friends and she had almost never been angry at Hermione before.

"Right, time to get ready," she spoke out loud, trying to focus on the task ahead and picked out a simple dark blue dress from her closet.

**..~**~..**

Ten minutes later, Ginny was standing in Hogsmeade holding Ryan in her arms, after he'd unfortunately tripped on the pavement, and walking down Hermione's street or at least the street she thought her friend lived in. Since Hermione's flat had become Unplottable, her block of flats was no longer visible to anyone unless accompanied by Hermione or Abigail. Ginny had no choice but to wander down the street until she came across a familiar-looking yellow house, which seemed abandoned. She decided to set Ryan down on the unkept front lawn until Hermione showed up.

"You're getting too heavy for Mummy, pumpkin," she told him with a laugh, ruffling his black hair.

She looked up and down the street, but saw no sign of Hermione yet. The sun had began to set and the street seemed pretty much empty except for a tall wizard headed her way. Realising she was early, she bent down, noticing Ryan's shoelace had become undone.

She barely saw the jet of red light until it hit her shoulder.

Ginny tried to scream but no sounds came out. She tried to move, to pick up Ryan and run, but her body refused and instead slowly fell forward on her face.

She felt nothing at all.

She had been petrified.

"Hello, Ginny."

Her heart skipped a beat. Although lying down on her face, unable to see, she still recognised Blaise Zabini's voice.

A kick to her side caused her body to topple over on her back. Three Death Eaters, dressed all in black, stood tall above her.

Blaise Zabini stood between them unmasked.

"Take the brat," he snarled to his left and immediately the Death Eater stepped forward and snatched Ryan from the ground.

_No! NO!_

Ginny was forced to watch as the Death Eater took her son in his arms and Disapparated from sight.

_RYAN!_

She wanted to scream. She wanted to fight. But there was nothing she could do except watch as Blaise crouched over her, wand in hand.

"I'm going to lift the Full Body Bind," he said dangerously. "but if you so much as breathe a sound, I will kill the brat myself."

With a flick of his wand, the curse was lifted and her limbs fell to the ground. Immediately the pain from her head and ribs kicked in but it was nothing compared to not knowing where her son had been taken.

Although she wanted nothing more than to find her wand and kill them all, fear for her son and herself gripped her and she dared not move. Tears, however, welled up in her eyes.

"Now, now, there's no need for tears," Blaise drawled, his gloved hand slowly tracing its way down her cheek. "Your son will be perfectly safe with us so long as you do as I say."

She shivered at his touch, her terrified eyes closely watching his wand.

"Besides, you brought this upon yourself, you and your _precious_ Order."

His hand brutally snatched her face, his tight grasp forcing her to look at him. "I'm only going to say this once, so you better listen closely, little Weasley. If you ever want to see your son again, alive, you'd better tell Abigail that we're waiting for her. Tell her to come alone. And tell her that she'd better hurry if she doesn't want innocent blood on her hands."

His grip tightened and Ginny closed her eyes in pain, tears leaking down her face.

"Do you understand?"

Ginny nodded, barely seeing him through her tears.

He let go and stood up. Still looking down at her, he smirked. "Are you sure?

She nodded again, desperate to get away from him, but also knowing that he wouldn't leave so easily.

"Do you see that, Carrow?" he continued, looking over his shoulder. "The little Weasley here will follow my every command."

He turned to face her once more and a feeling of dread overtook her at once.

"I think she deserves a reward." His dark, heartless eyes stared into her own horrified ones.

"_Crucio!_"

**..~**~..**

* * *

**Evil Blaise...**

**Well there you go, many of you thought that Hermione would be the one to be kidnapped but it was always planned out to be little Ryan. Thank you all for reading and please drop a review if you can. Feel free to give me writing advice or point out any spelling/grammar mistakes. This chapter hasn't been beta-read but I hope it isn't too terrible. So please REVIEW! :)  
**

**I'm currently looking for some good somewhat new Dramione fics to read since I've been out of the loop for a while. So let me know what y'all reading right now! :) My book recommendation for you is if you haven't read Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, go read it now! (Or at least watch the excellent HBO series that recently came out). I'm in the middle of book 4 and I love it!  
**

** Next chapter: It's mostly Ryan's rescue, lots of action and some Dramione.  
**


End file.
